Police uncover copper haul during Sebastopol raid

Ballarat police have charged a Sebastopol man following a series of burglaries targeting homes under construction across the city’s growing suburbs.

Detectives from the Ballarat Criminal Investigation Unit and Divisional Response Unit executed a search warrant at a Vale Street property about 8.35am on Wednesday, March 4.

Police allege the 38-year-old man was in the process of stripping copper from stolen cabling when officers entered the property and arrested him.

Investigators also seized large quantities of copper and other items believed to have been stolen during recent burglaries in Winter Valley, Bonshaw and Smythesdale.

The haul included copper allegedly taken overnight from houses under construction in the Winter Valley and Bonshaw areas, along with building hardware and materials from local building sites.

Police also located power tools and other items allegedly linked to a burglary at Smythesdale Cemetery.

Authorities estimate the total financial impact of the offending to be about $25,000.

Six homes under construction were targeted, with copper removed from underground power infrastructure and damage estimated between $500 and $3500 per property.

The damage is expected to delay construction by about two weeks for each home.

That delay could add around $2000 in additional building costs per property, along with further financial pressure on homeowners through mortgage repayments.

The Sebastopol man has been charged with theft, handling stolen goods, possessing proceeds of crime, possessing drugs of dependence and possessing counterfeit money.

He was bailed to appear at Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on April 27.

Police continue to investigate the incidents and are urging anyone with information about thefts from building sites to contact Crime Stoppers.