Collie Police had a busy week, undertaking searches for two separate missing people on the same day last week.
Senior Sergeant Heath Soutar said police had received a report on the morning of October 10 that a 56-year-old man had been missing for 24 hours after heading out into the bush near Muja to collect wood.
He said police had conducted land and air searches in the area, however the man had managed to find his own way home.
Senior Sergeant Soutar said the man had become disoriented while in the bush, but managed to find his vehicle during the night before it eventually got stuck. He said the man had a phone on him but the battery had gone flat.
Police were also involved in another missing person search in Wellington Forest that afternoon, after they received a phone call from a man that had become lost. As a result of land and air searches, the man was located just before nightfall.
Senior Sergeant Soutar said locating the two men safely was a ‘really good result’ but the incidents should serve as a warning.
“You should always prepare for the worst if you’re heading into the bush because it’s very easy to get lost,” he said.
“Always take food and water and have a charged phone because the coverage is quite good all throughout the area. It’s also important you tell someone where you are going and what time you’re expected to come back.”
Police have also charged a 51-year-old man over two separate incidents that occurred over the past week.
The man was charged with the assault of a 31-year-old man after he allegedly walked up behind him and shoved the man into his car in what Senior Sergeant Soutar described as a ‘totally unprovoked’ attack on October 14.
Two days later the same man was then charged with disorderly conduct, obstructing police and stealing offences after police were called to a disturbance at the Collie River Valley Medical Centre.
In response to the incident, police searched the man’s backpack where they found items that had allegedly been stolen from Red Dot. He will appear in court next month.
Senior Sergeant Soutar said a 34-year-old Collie male was also arrested in Bunbury and charged with 15 offences, some of which allegedly occurred in Collie between August and October.
Senior Sergeant Soutar said the man had been charged with a range of offences including trespass, stealing, reckless driving and criminal damage.
He will appear in the Bunbury Magistrates Court next month.
Police also charged a 34-year-old Bunbury male, who had an arrest warrant, after they located him at a house on Wallsend Street on October 13.
Senior Sergeant Soutar said the man attempted to flee police by jumping a side fence at the property, but officers were waiting on the other side.
A search of the man’s backpack allegedly turned up drug paraphernalia and ‘house-breaking implements’.
Police are also looking for information about two incidents – one a family violence incident in Buckingham Way at 9.30am on October 11 and a dispute between neighbours on Ogden Street at 6pm on October 13. Any witnesses should contact police on 9734 6333.
