Getting bogged just off the Princes Highway roundabout at Colac has led to a Melbourne man being charged with the theft of four vehicles valued at more than $200,000.
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Detective Senior Constable Robert Ashton, of the Colac police crime investigation unit, said officers went to Drapers Road, just off the main roundabout east of the city, for a welfare check after a vehicle and caravan were reported to be bogged.
Officers found a stolen $65,000 Toyota HiLux utility and a well-presented but believed-to-be stolen Jayco caravan at Irrewarra.
The ute was stolen from Coburg mid this month.
Further investigations revealed a Nissan Patrol and a horse float parked nearby were also stolen from Yeo, east of Colac.
The value of all the vehicles is believed to be more than $200,000.
Police officers also discovered the caravan and HiLux were fitted with false identification plates from Western Australia.
"There had been extensive efforts to re-badge the vehicles with false identification plates," Detective Senior Constable Ashton said.
A 28-year-old Melbourne man was arrested and he was found to also be in possession of three grams of cannabis and one gram of crystal methamphetamine.
Officers also located a number of bank cards and personal identification cards that were not in the man's name.
He was charged with seven offences and bailed to appear in the Colac Magistrates Court in January.
At the weekend, a 40-year-old Portland man was also arrested and charged with having false registration plates on his white Holden Commodore.
Checks revealed the plates on his vehicle were stolen from a vehicle at Northcote railway station on May 27.
The man was bailed to appear in Portland Magistrates Court in mid January charged with theft and handling stolen goods.
He has 244 prior court appearances.
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