A man has been arrested and charged over five stealing offences committed at jewellers in the Lake Macquarie, Tuggerah and Jesmond areas.

About 10am yesterday (Thursday 9 July 2015), police were called to a jewellery store in a shopping centre at Charlestown, when staff recognised a man police wished to talk to in relation to the theft of jewellery from stores in Lake Macquarie, Tuggerah and Jesmond.

Police from Lake Macquarie Local Area Command attended and arrested the 36-year-old Narwee man. He was taken to Charlestown Police Station where he was subsequently charged with five counts of steal from person relating to the following incidents:

– Theft of a bracelet from a jewellers in Gorokan on 25 March 2015
– Theft of a chain from a jewellers in Charlestown on 19 June 2015
– Theft of a necklet from a jewellers in Jesmond on 20 June 2015
– Theft of a bracelet from a pawnbrokers in Wyong on 29 June 2015
– Theft of a bracelet from a jewellers in Jesmond on 8 July 2015

The man was also charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and intimidation stemming from an alleged incident in Wyong on 5 July 2015.

He was refused bail to appear at Newcastle Local Court today (10 July 2015).

Police are re-appealing for witnesses following a fatal plane crash near Cessnock yesterday.

About 4.30pm (Wednesday 8 July 2015), emergency services were called to Sawyers Gully after reports a light plane had crashed into dense bushland.

Officers from Central Hunter Local Area Command attended and located the plane well-alight.

The fire was extinguished by the NSW Rural Fire Service before the body of the 55-year-old pilot was located inside.

No one else was injured during the incident.

A crime scene has been established and is being examined by specialist forensic officers and investigators from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) today (Thursday 9 July 2015).

A report is being prepared for the Coroner.

An investigation is underway following a fatal plane crash near Cessnock.

Emergency services were called to Sawyers Gully about 4.30pm today (Wednesday 8 July 2015), after reports a light plane had crashed into dense bushland.

Officers from Central Hunter Local Area Command attended and located the plane well-alight.

The fire was extinguished before the body of the pilot was located inside.

The man has not been formally identified.

No one else was injured.

A crime scene has been established and will be examined by specialist forensic officers.

A report will be prepared for the Coroner.

Police are appealing for public assistance to locate a man wanted in the state’s Hunter region.

A revocation of parole warrant has been issued for 56-year-old Stephen Edward Saari.

Saari was on parole for the murder of a man at Rathmines in 2000; however, allegedly failed to comply with the conditions.

Officers from the Central Hunter Local Area Command are appealing for public assistance as they attempt to locate him.

Saari is described as being of Caucasian appearance, approximately 172cm tall, with a medium build, brown hair and green/hazel eyes.

Anyone who sees him or believes they know his whereabouts is urged to contact Triple Zero ‘000’ immediately.

More than 20 people have been arrested during an operation involving four local area commands in the Hunter region.

Operation Quad LAC ran over past two weekends (June 27 and 28 2015, and July 3 and 4 2015).

During the operation, four commands – Lake Macquarie, Newcastle City, Port Stephens and Central Hunter – shared intelligence and resources to conduct targeted, high-visibility patrols.

Specifically, Operation Quad LAC:

– Targeted offenders and known locations;

– Targeted offenders with outstanding warrants and court attendance notices;

– Conducted compliance checks on offenders with current bail conditions; and

– Performed mobile random breath testing.

A total of 23 people were arrested during the operation. They have been charged for offences ranging from drug possession and supply to steal motor vehicle, resist police, malicious damage, and possession of a knife in a public place.

In one incident, police attached to Operation Quad LAC detected a Holden Barina allegedly exceeding the speed limit on Maitland Road at Mayfield about 12.15am on Monday 29 June 2015.

Following two pursuits with police, the driver – a 25-year-old man – stopped the car in Newcastle East and ran into Newcastle Harbour.

Police negotiators engaged with the man for several hours, before he emerged from the water shortly after 6am. He has been charged with a number of traffic offences.

Other results from Operation Quad LAC include:

– Approximately 250 random breath tests conducted, with three drink-driving offences detected;

– 25 intelligence reports gathered;

– 110 people searched;

– 40 vehicles searched;

– 21 drug detections;

– 20 move-on directions given;

– Nine infringement notices issued.

Police are investigating after two teenagers reported being approached by a man in Newcastle West.

The two girls, both aged 13, were walking along Steel Street about 2.40pm yesterday (Monday 6 July 2015).

Police have been told a white van drove past the girls.

The male driver reportedly called out to them, before the van turned into Parry Street and parked on the side of the road.

Fearing for their safety, the girls ran into a nearby shopping centre.

They spoke with security personnel, who contacted the girls’ parents.

Officers from Newcastle City Local Area Command are investigating the incident.

Police are appealing for the public’s assistance to help them find a man missing from the Hunter.

Michael Fowler, a 55-year-old man from Williamtown, was last seen at a fast-food restaurant on Nelson Bay Road, Williamtown, around midday last Friday (3 July 2015).

He has not been seen or heard from since.

Mr Fowler’s family has reported him missing to police, and a coordinated land search of the local area is now underway.

Mr Fowler is described as being of Caucasian appearance, with light-brown hair and hazel eyes. He stands around 165cm tall and has a medium build. At the time he was last sighted, Mr Fowler was wearing a khaki-coloured, military-style jacket and dark trousers.

Anyone with information that may help police find Mr Fowler is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers.

Three young people have been charged after a man was allegedly hit with a tree branch and robbed at Newcastle last week.

Simultaneous search warrants were executed on homes in Davis Street, Wallsend, about 8.15am today (Monday 6 July 2015), by police from Newcastle Local Area Command.

A 20-year-old man, a 17-year-old youth and a 13-year-old boy were arrested and taken to Newcastle Police Station.

They were each charged with aggravated robbery; the boy was also charged with larceny.

The charges relate to an incident about 7pm last Tuesday (30 June 2015), when a 21-year-old man was allegedly assaulted and robbed of his backpack within university grounds.

The man sustained injuries to his head and leg during the alleged attack.

Police allege an electronic tablet – stolen during the robbery – was recovered from one of the homes during today’s search.

The man is due to appear in Newcastle Local Court on Thursday 30 July 2015.

The two juveniles will be appearing in a children’s court on Monday 27 July 2015.

A man has been charged after a large quantity, of what is believed to be, illicit drugs were found in his possession at Newcastle tonight.

Uniformed Police from Newcastle City Local Area Command were conducting a foot patrol of the Honeysuckle entertainment precinct, about 8pm (Sunday 5 July 2015), when they spoke to a man with a suitcase.

As the conversation progressed, officers became increasingly suspicious of the man; as a result the man and the suitcase were searched.

Police will allege they discovered substances which they believe to be a commercial quantity of the drugs ‘Ice’, MDMA, and cocaine.

The 46-year-old man was arrested and taken to Newcastle Police Station where he was charged with supply prohibited drug (commercial quantity), and two counts of supply prohibited drug (indictable quantity).

He has been refused bail, to appear at Newcastle Local Court today (Monday 6 July 2015).

Police and WorkCover NSW are investigating after a man died following an incident at Sandgate, near Newcastle this morning.

Just after 9.30am (Saturday 4 July 2015), emergency services were called to a transport business on Old Maitland Road, Sandgate after reports of a worker being injured.

NSW Ambulance Paramedics treated the 47-year-old man but he died at the scene.

Officers from Newcastle City Local Area Command established a crime scene and have commenced investigations into the incident.

The incident will be investigated by WorkCover NSW and police.

A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.