Three men have been charged following an investigation into alleged robberies of bottle shops in Muswellbrook last week.
About 7.45pm last Friday (3 July 2026), a group of men entered a bottle shop on Rutherford Road before allegedly threatening an employee with a hammer and stealing alcohol.
Moments later, the same group entered a bottle shop on Sydney Street before allegedly threatening an employee with a knife and stealing alcohol.
Members of the group then entered a bottle shop on Bridge Street, allegedly threatening a staff member before leaving in a silver ute with cases of beer, spirits and pre-mixed drinks.
Police attached to Hunter Valley Police District established crime scenes at the three locations and commenced inquiries.
About 8am Sunday (5 July 2026), police located the ute at a home on Sydney Street, Muswellbrook.
A crime scene was established, and the vehicle was seized to undergo forensic testing.
An 18-year-old man was arrested at the home and taken to Muswellbrook Police Station.
He has been charged with four offences,
- Robbery armed with offensive weapon (accessory after the fact to an offence) (two counts)
- Robbery in company (accessory after the fact to an offence), and
- Owner not disclose identity of driver/passenger.
He was refused bail to appear before Bail Division Court 2 yesterday (Monday 6 July 2026), where he was granted strict conditional bail to appear before Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday 2 September 2026.
Yesterday morning (Monday 6 July 2026), search warrants were executed at a home in Moobi and two homes in Scone.
During the searches, police located and seized a hammer, knife, clothing and alcohol.
Two men – aged 18 and 27 – were arrested following the search warrants and taken to Muswellbrook Police Station.
They have now been charged with two counts of robbery armed with offensive weapon, and robbery in company.
They were refused bail to appear before Bail Division Court 2 today (Tuesday 7 July 2026).
Inquiries into the incidents are ongoing by police.
