A man’s been charged with stealing artwork, while he was contracted to clean up after a fatal fire in a Central Coast shop last year.
The fire broke out in the Ebbtide mall at The Entrance on October 20, killing 69-year-old artist Patrick Carroll.
A 50-year-old man was arrested at a Bateau Bay worksite after investigators raided a home in Maitland on May 14, finding 87 artworks.
Those works, valued at more than $160,000, have since been returned to family members of the victim.
Police also found an air rifle, a pen gun, an electronic stun device, ammunition and prohibited drugs.
The man’s been charged with a string of offences, including larceny.
He appeared in Newcastle Local Court on May 15, and will reappear in Wyong Local Court today.
A teenage boy was charged with lighting the blaze and he remains before the courts.