A man will face court charged with breaking into and stealing from homes on the South Coast while residents had evacuated during the height of the bushfire crisis earlier this year.
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NSW police say the man, 37, allegedly broke into multiple homes in the Malua Bay area in the first week of January during the South Coast fires.
Many residents in those areas had fled their homes as the bushfire threat encroached on their properties.
Following a three-month investigation, police carried out a search of a Mogo home on Thursday about 8am, leading to the man's arrest.
A NSW police spokesman said officers found a replica assault rifle, gel blaster ammunition, cannabis, a taser shaped as a baton, electronic goods and homemade mace.
The man was arrested and taken to Batemans Bay police station, where he was charged with break and enter, two counts of driving a car without the consent of the owner, receiving stolen property, driving while unlicensed and acquiring a prohibited gun among other offences.
Bail was refused.
He will front Batemans Bay Local Court on Friday.
Police say a second search was carried out at another property in Mogo in relation to the thefts.
A 52-year-old man was arrested and will face court at a later date, after cannabis was allegedly found at the home.
Andrew Brown
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
