A TAMWORTH man allegedly used a stolen wheelie bin to haul 103 cowboy hats out of store in the Hunter Valley during a pre-dawn break-in
Christopher Wayne Fullerton was denied bail in an out-of-sessions hearing in Tamworth Local Court on Wednesday morning.
The 32-year-old is accused of breaking into Marsh Carney Saddlery in Kelly Street in Scone between 5.20am and 5.35am on October 27.
Inside, they allege Fullerton stole 103 various brands of country and cowboy style hats.
He then allegedly used a stolen wheelie bin to take the haul away from the scene.
Police were called in when the theft was discovered, and officers launched an investigation.
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After three weeks of investigations, Hunter Valley police zeroed in on Fullerton in Taminda, in Tamworth's industrial area.
About 1pm on Tuesday they moved, arresting him before taking him to Tamworth police station for questioning.
Fullerton was charged with break-and-enter and commit serious indictable offence, namely stealing; as well as unlawfully obtaining suspected stolen goods.
He spent the night in custody in the Tamworth police cells before appearing in court on Wednesday morning.
The charges triggered a show cause bail hearing but Fullerton did not show cause as to why his detention was not justified, according to court documents.
He was refused bail to reappear before a magistrate in Tamworth Local Court later this week. He was not required to enter pleas to the two charges.
It's the police case Fullerton was seen loading various brands of hats into the wheelie bin, and left the scene on the morning of October 27.
Police claim the stolen cowboy hats are worth close to $10,000.
