Police were still searching for a 34-year-old man on Saturday morning after he fled into bushland at Boat Harbour near Anna Bay on Friday afternoon.
A 32-year-old woman has been charged in the meantime, and the state's Robbery and Serious Crime squad has reportedly been called in to assist in the investigation, but police have made limited comment on the circumstances surrounding the presence at Port Stephens on August 4 and 5.
Officers went to a home on Gan Gan Road in the Boat Harbour area around 3.30pm on Friday intending to arrest a man in relation to undisclosed but "serious offences", a police spokesperson has said.
When they arrived the man fled into bushland and, despite an extensive search, has not been seen since.
Police instead arrested a 32-year-old woman at the home and seized drugs, cash and mobile phones in a search of the property. The woman was taken to Raymond Terrace Police Station and has been charged with concealing a serious indictable offence, police said in a statement on Saturday morning.
She was given conditional bail and is expected to appear at Raymond Terrace Local Court on September 18.
The search for the man, meanwhile, is ongoing.
The details of this report are developing. It may be updated.
