Offender broke into pub for 'a beer and a feed' after ramming police cars
From reporter Olivia Caldwell:
A ute driver rammed two police cars, fled through three small towns and broke into a pub for a “beer and a feed” before his eventual arrest.
Police notified Moorings Restaurant owner Anthony Robertson that his venue near Cromwell had been broken into at 2am after they caught the alleged offender.
“He broke in through the door, had a beer and a feed ... and off he went. We weren't involved in all the rest of the carnage,” Robertson said.
He could not say which beer the suspect chose to drink or what food he ate.
The crime spree began with a family violence incident just before 6pm on Tuesday.
As officers responded, the offender drove his Toyota Landcruiser into two police cars, damaging them.
The officers were uninjured, Sergeant Derek Ealson said.
The offender then drove through three Central Otago townships in a chase that lasted several hours.
A dog handler from Dunedin eventually caught the man in Pisa Moorings, north of Cromwell, as he tried to flee.
“He was involved in a burglary incident, and was on foot. While on foot he attempted to damage another police car with rocks,” Sergeant Mike Calvert alleged.
The dog handler had driven more than four hours from Dunedin to pursue the offender in Central Otago.
Calvert said police were reviewing where police dogs and handlers were placed.
“The Central Otago region is growing and has the same need for dog handlers as further south, where there are five dog handlers.”
The alleged offender, a 35-year-old Southland man, was remanded in custody to face 11 charges, including trespass, attempting to take a vehicle, careless operation of a motor vehicle, entering a building with intention to commit an imprisonable offence, assault with intent, assaulting police officers, threatening to kill a police officer and contravening a protection order.
He is next due to appear in the Queenstown District Court on October 25.
“While this was an unpredictable and concerning incident, we want to reassure the Central Otago community that there is no further threat,” Ealson said.
Police wanted to hear from anyone with video of the Toyota Landcruiser as it was driven through Tarras, Wānaka, Lowburn and Pisa Moorings, or video of the man’s arrest.
Anyone with information should call police and quote file number 221018/3292.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Test Your Wits! Today's Riddle Will Keep You Guessing!
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Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
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82.5% Yes
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14.9% No
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2.6% Other - I'll share below