<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>329858</docID> <postdate>2024-09-27 10:15:39</postdate> <headline>Suspected thief hides from police in roof cavity</headline> <body><p><strong>A 53-year-old man, who hid in a ceiling cavity to evade police, faces court today after allegedly stealing a bag with keys to several vehicles from an O’Connor business.</strong></p> <p>On Thursday evening the business owner discovered the bag of keys was missing and, using a GPS tracking device, went to confront the man at an address in the CBD where the bag was believed to be.</p> <p>The 53-year-old man ran off and the owner then reported the matter to police.</p> <p>Police say they found the man at in a ceiling cavity of a business near the Jolimont Centre on Northbourne Avenue, but the man then broke through the ceiling of a hotel lobby in the building and fled.</p> <p>He was caught by police and a search of his personal belongings uncovered the bag containing the car keys.</p> <p>Police have charged him with two counts of burglary and property damage.</p> </body>