Police finally nabbed a man who had been on the run from authorities for nearly a month.
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The Crossley man, 42, was arrested and remanded in custody on Friday after police received a tip-off on his whereabouts and circled in on him in Warrnambool.
He will face Warrnambool Magistrates' Court on Monday on 23 charges.
Police had been "actively searching" for the man after he stole a white Toyota van from Caufield in mid-May and crashed it in Purnim while on bail for other offences.
Police had a missing persons alert on him before he was found.
"Police had been actively searching for him between here and Melbourne," Warrnambool Acting Sergeant Ben Timpson said.
"We received information that he was going to be at a certain place and that he was in town.
"Good police work was how it was carried out, he was arrested without incident."
Acting Sergeant Timpson said he was on bail for a number of offences before the Purnim crash, including theft of a motor vehicle, weapons charges, possession of drugs, driving while disqualified, handle of stolen goods, reckless conduct endangering life and drug driving offences.
"He was ejected from his vehicle as a result of the Purnim head-on and subsequently flown to Melbourne for treatment of injuries," he said.
"He left the Alfred against doctors wishes and against medical advice. He was not under police guard at the time.
"Police were looking for him first and foremost because we had welfare concerns, but also in relation to criminal offences identified as a result of the collision.
"There's 23 charges in total."
The man previously served time in jail on an armed robbery conviction.
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