A man will face court on Tuesday over an armed robbery and second attempted heist at Port Stephens - where he allegedly threatened a 39-year-old woman with a deodorant can.
Police allege the man entered a store on Soldiers Point Road at Salamander Bay about 2.15pm on Friday and threatened the female employee, before she activated an alarm and the man fled the scene.
Two men nearby apprehended the man, but he escaped.
Police arrived soon after and arrested the 21-year-old after they found him hiding behind a bin on Foreshore Drive.
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He was taken to Raymond Terrace Police Station and charged with attempted armed robbery and armed with intent to commit indictable offence.
The man was granted strict conditional bail on Saturday and will face court on Tuesday.
But police investigating an alleged armed robbery at an Anna Bay service station on September 9 arrested the same 21-year-old man at a Salamander Bay home on Monday.
Police will allege the man entered the service station on Nelson Bay Road and threatened a 59-year-old female employee with a knife, before fleeing with cash and cigarettes.
The 21-year-old was charged with robbery whilst armed with an offensive weapon and refused bail to face that charge on Tuesday.
