TWO Healesville drivers have walked away uninjured after two separate crashes at Healesville Walk Shopping Centre on Monday 2 November.
Lilydale Police Leading Senior Constable Silvia Jarvie said that, at 6.15am, a Healesville man in his mid-forties, was parked outside of the Soul Pattinson Chemist.
Leading Sen Const Jarvie said the man then “mistook his accelerator pedal for his brake pedal”, mounting the footpath and crashing through the front window of the shop.
The man was not injured in the incident.
At 10.20am, an 84-year-old Healesville woman in the same car park drove through a bollard and a street sign separating the shopping centre car park and the Healesville Community Link car park.
Mooroolbark Police Leading Senior Constable Barry Roberts and Senior Constable Chris Moloney said police believed the woman might have also mistaken her accelerator for her brake pedal, or have put her car in the wrong gear, and drove through the bollards.
The car, a maroon Ford Fairmont, was left in the air from the crash, with damage to the undercarriage and front bumper bar – the driver was not injured in the incident.
Break-in witnesses wanted
POLICE are appealing for information after a break-in at Yarra Glen Garden Supplies last week.
Between 4.30pm on Saturday 24 October and 6.45am on Monday 26 October, unknown persons jemmied open an office door at the Armstrong Grove business.
Yarra Glen Police Sergeant Richard Coulson said a “quantity” of cash was stolen from the business.
Anyone who may have seen any suspicious behaviour or who has any information is asked to call Yarra Glen police on 9730 1296.
Phone scam: charges laid
A MILLGROVE man will face court next year after being arrested for numerous deception charges, linked to an interstate phone scam.
Yarra Ranges Crime Investigation Unit (CIU) Detective Senior Constable Rod Newbery said police executed a search warrant at a Millgrove property on 13 October and arrested a 43-year-old Millgrove man.
Det Sen Const Newbery said police believed the man was part of a syndicate who called elderly people pretending to be from Centrelink and asking for bank details.
“They set up fake internet banking accounts and basically siphoned money out of the account until the old person becomes aware of it,” he said.
He said the syndicate was operating interstate, and that the man was charged with “many” counts of deception and bailed to appear at Ringwood Magistrates’ Court next year – with further charges to come.
Det Sen Const Newbery said that anyone who believed they might have been contacted by the syndicate, or who might have given out their bank details over the phone, should contact Yarra Ranges CIU on 9739 2300.
He warned elderly residents to be wary of people calling and asking for bank details, and said not to give out details over the phone and to contact Centrelink if suspicious about a caller.
“It may be pretty legitimate,” Det Sen Const Newbery said.
“If you think they are suss, call Centrelink back and ask if they’ve asked to contact you.
“It’s the same as any sort of scam – if they’re asking for banking details, it’s probably something wrong.”
Furlong force rules the day
POLICE will be taking to the valley over Melbourne Cup Day to enforce road rules as part of Operation Furlong, with officers encouraging drivers to take it easy over the long weekend.
Warburton Police Sergeant Tom Wilkinson said police would be out on the roads on Tuesday 3 November for the end of Operation Furlong, which ran over the Cup Day long weekend.
The aim of the operation, Sgt Wilkinson said, was to raise awareness of road safety, and target those who were doing the wrong thing.
Sgt Wilkinson said police would be running breath-tests as part of the operation.
“We’re out and about – we become more prominent during the public holidays because there’s more people traffic and we’re trying to get people from and to home safely,” he said.
“We thank those persons who are obviously conscientious but we are trying to weed out those who are not supportive of road safety.”
