THE historic Rosevale Retreat Hotel was broken into by thieves three times in six days, last week – offenders from the second and third break and enters were captured by Boonah, Rosewood and Kalbar police.
The items stolen and the damage caused to the building has been estimated by owner, Mitch McAlpine, at around $60,000.
The first break in occurred at sometime between 8.00pm on Monday, August 4 and 6.00am on Tuesday, August 5, at the Rosevale Road, Rosevale address.
“The offenders spent a considerable amount of time inside the building dismantling and taking the bar set up and a quantity of furniture from inside the hotel,” reported Boonah Police Acting Sgt Andrew Conway.
The value of the stolen items is upwards of $40,000.
Following that break in during the early hours, police were later alerted to a group of people unlawfully in the hotel again on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 5.
“This time neighbours saw the people and contacted police with a description and registration of the vehicle,” Acting Sgt Conway said.
“Boonah, Rosewood and Kalbar Police located the vehicle on Rosewood Warrill View Road at Warrill View and the offenders were taken into custody and subsequently charged with ‘entering and committing an indicatable offence of stealing’.”
A Kingston man, 25, a Kingston woman, 22, and a Woodridge man, 28, are due to appear in Ipswich Magistrates Court on September 13.
Then late on Saturday around 5.00pm (August 10), police received a report that people had again broken into the hotel.
“Witnesses followed the vehicle when it left,” Acting Sgt Conway said.
“The offenders were located by police on Rosewood Warrill View Road at Lower Mount Walker.”
Two men aged 21 and 26 from Crestmead and a Woodridge man, 32, were charged with entering the property and stealing.
They are due to appear in Ipswich Magistrates Court on September 5.
Acting Sgt Conway added that investigations were underway but at this stage … “there are no apparent links between the three break and enters.”
The long-closed hotel, the state’s oldest pub still in the original building, is set to re-open at Christmas.
Mr McAlpine says those plans haven’t changed.
“We’re currently installing a sophisticated security system and while we’re hoping that some of the stolen property may be recovered, we don’t have high hopes.”