Two men have been refused bail after they were allegedly caught on CCTV footage breaking into a Barrack Heights home and stealing items while a woman was asleep.
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Warilla's Dale McWaters, 27, and Timmothy Michael Collins faced Wollongong Local Court on Thursday after they were arrested for the alleged break-in.
Documents tendered to court said McWaters and co-accused Timmothy Collins along with two other women Tracey Butler and Melissa Butler approached a home on Messenger Road, Barrack Heights at about 4am on Wednesday morning.
The owner was not at home but a friend of hers was asleep in a bedroom.
The group allegedly opened the unlocked security door before forcing their way through the front wooden locked door, damaging it.
They allegedly started walking through the house, with their movements being captured on CCTV footage in the lounge room, and they collected items.
McWaters allegedly looked into the bedroom to see a woman asleep and told the others to be quiet before he took a handbag and the group rummaged through it.
The group allegedly stole a PlayStation 4, a power drill and the woman's purse which contained cards.
The homeowner received an alert that people were in her house from the security camera program on her phone.
She accessed the footage and allegedly identified the men and women because she had recently been in contact with them.
About half an hour later, the woman returned to her house to allegedly find the door open and she called the police. Her friend was still asleep.
The homeowner called another friend to come stay with her as she was scared, and at about 5.30am the two women who allegedly broke into the house returned and started calling the homeowner's name.
The Butlers allegedly went to the rear door and banged on it but the homeowner did not answer the door and she called Triple 0.
At about 11am McWaters allegedly saw police attending his Warilla home to search for the stolen items but he jumped over a fence. He was arrested after a short foot pursuit.
Collins was arrested in the rear of the yard moments later.
Police allegedly found the PlayStation, power drill and the woman's wallet inside McWaters' home.
McWaters was also allegedly found with a butterfly knife in his bumbag.
McWaters and Collins were taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station and charged with aggravated break and enter and committing a serious indictable offence when people were there.
McWaters was also charged with possessing a prohibited weapon.
Magistrate Chris McRobert refused to grant bail due to the seriousness of the charges and McWaters' long criminal history.
Collins did not apply for bail and it was formally refused with both cases adjourned to June.
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