He is charged with burglary, criminal damage and theft of a bicycle after allegedly attempting to break into at least two other houses where he could be clearly seen on CCTV footage.
Leading Snr Const Tracy Pierce from Yarrawonga Police said the man was charged with burgling a Telford St address at about 8.30 on Wednesday morning last week, after allegedly stealing the bike from a Robertson Way home at 3.30am.
Yarrawonga Chronicle advertising manager, Ralph Silver lives in Silverwoods and said he and his wife Deb woke up to a loud bang at 3.43am on the morning of Wednesday, September 2.
“We heard banging on the back patio glass door - loud, violent banging - and we weren't sure whether a picture frame had fallen or what,” Ralph said.
“And then the banging happened again about a minute later; it sounded like a washing does when it goes off balance.”
When Ralph went to investigate, he found nobody, but he could see his side gate had been opened.
“My wife thought it might have been a car accident at first … but after the second banging, we could hear a mumbled voice out front in the street,” he said.
“We couldn’t hear what he was saying, it was incoherent, but we didn’t sleep at all knowing someone had tried to get in.”
In the morning, Ralph’s nephew, who lives a few doors down on Peter Thompson Circuit, called to ask if they’d had any issue through the night as someone had also tried to break into their place.
The man was arrested at about 11am on Wednesday morning and Leading Snr Const Pierce confirmed that he appeared to be “substance affected”.
He was bailed to appear at Cobram Magistrates Court on December 15.
His bail conditions mean he is not permitted to enter Yarrawonga during that time.
