A Wendouree man has allegedly been sprung in the middle of trying to scape the sign off the side of a stolen company car with a knife. Jorden Heffernan, 20, appeared from custody at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, facing a string in charges for alleged thefts throughout September and October. At Wednesday's hearing, the court heard Heffernan intended to plea to the charges at a later date, following negotiations with police prosecutions. On October 10, police allegedly found multiple sets of keys, identification cards and a laptop in a backpack belonging to Heffernan. The outstanding goods were allegedly stolen across a series of vehicle break-ins in suburbs across Ballarat in September and October, including Ballarat North, Alfredton, Lake Gardens and Winter Valley. In one of the alleged thefts, at 5am on October 5, Heffernan was accused of rifling through a Honda SUV parked outside of an address in Lake Gardens. The car's owner awoke when Heffernan's movement was allegedly picked up by CCTV cameras on the property. The man went outside to confront Heffernan, who allegedly pulled a knife on the man. Heffernan was then accused of trying to start the car, and after failing, stealing a pair of sunglasses before fleeing. He was arrested on October 10, after a call to police about a man in Wendouree using a knife to scrape company signage off the side of an SUV. The caller took a photo of the man during the alleged offence, who police identified as Heffernan. Police arrived at the Wendouree address at 11.50am and found a stolen work vehicle outside of a unit with its signage partially scraped off. Heffernan was arrested at the unit, where police allegedly found his backpack containing stolen items. The matter was booked off until December 5 for a plea hearing, after an offer was made by police to Heffernan and his lawyer.