Regional Investigations Unit detectives have charged a man in relation to an attempted armed robbery in Kelmscott on 21 August 2003.

About 4:45am a man parked a Ford Fairmont sedan at the Shell Service Station on Albany Highway, Kelmscott and approached a staff member who was standing outside. He was

wearing a balaclava and was armed with an axe.

It will be alleged the man raised the axe and demanded cash from the staff member. The two men wrestled and the staff member fell to the ground, where it will be alleged he was kicked

a number of times and punched.

The man fled on foot, leaving behind the vehicle he had driven there in, and which was later identified as a stolen vehicle. The vehicle and items of interest within the vehicle were seized

for forensic examination.

Based on a DNA match to a sample taken recently in a separate investigation, Regional Investigations Unit detectives travelled to Gnowangerup and with the assistance of

Gnowangerup Police arrested a 32 year old man yesterday. The man has since been charged with Steal Motor Vehicle and Attempted Aggravated Armed Robbery, and will

appear in the Armadale Magistrates Court today, Tuesday 13 November 2012.