Serial thief ordered to pay back $11k in stolen solar panels

Fingerprints at the scene of an industrial site burglary were the final nail in the coffin that saw a thief jailed for a run of offences dating back to 2018.

Serial Toowoomba thief Travis James Hinitt was jailed for the theft of solar panels from Solahart Darling Downs

Fingerprints left at the scene of break in at the Solahart Darling Downs store linked Travis James Hinitt to a burglary that saw $11,000 worth of panels disappear.

Sometime between May 28 and June 2 a group of thieves forced entry to the property and removed the solar panels.

It did not take police long to link Hinitt to the burglary as he was already well-known to Toowoomba police.

All that was left was to add a charge of entering a premise with intent, to the 38 charges the 29-year-old man was already facing.

Hinitt was arrested on Friday and held in the watchhouse until Wednesday when he was brought before the Toowoomba Magistrates Court to plead guilty to all offences.

The charge sheet included 10 counts of producing and possession of dangerous drugs that dated back to December 2018.

He faced at least three counts of drugged driving and several stealing and fraud charges.

They included stealing about $400 worth of toys from Toymate.

Defence solicitor Brad Skuse told the court Hinitt had a good work history in construction and farm labouring until about 12 months ago.

He added that Hinitt was introduced to cannabis as a 14-year-old and escalated to using more serious drugs in his adult years including meth.

Magistrate Howard Osborne ordered a head sentence of nine months in jail for the break-in at Solahart and set his parole date at September 11, 2021.

Mr Osborne also fined Hinitt a total of $4100 and ordered he pay $11,250 in restitution to Solahart Darling Downs.