A suspicious vehicle failed to stop for police at Mackay St, Thames. The driver and a passenger have been identified on CCTV camera. The driver has three warrants for their arrest for breaching court sanctions and threatening behaviour. They will now face an additional charge for failing to stop. Police are making inquiries.
Thursday, January 21
A single-vehicle, non-injury traffic crash took place at Waihi-Whangamata Rd, Whiritoa. A vehicle lost control on a sharp bend and crashed. The driver was in a serious condition and was flown by helicopter to Waikato Hospital.
Friday, January 22
Police investigating recent burglaries of the Te Aroha Golf Course and a residential Honi St address arrested three Te Aroha men. They are jointly charged with two burglaries. On the night of the first burglary they were allegedly caught on CCTV stealing a wood chipper from the golf course. Their vehicle was stopped by police under suspicious circumstances, however, at the time police were unaware the burglary had occurred. Police seized the stolen property suspecting it to have been stolen and were later able to confirm this. The offenders were also found in possession of a stolen chainsaw and other tools taken from the second burglary which occurred the same night. All three offenders will be appearing in court soon.
A Ngatea man was arrested for allegedly assaulting his daughter in-law at a Costello Drive address. The victim was allegedly punched and kicked on the ground. The victim sustained injuries to her face and was hospitalised. The arrested man is charged with serious assault and was held in custody overnight in Hamilton for court the following day.
A Hauraki man was arrested for multiple offences including stealing a vehicle from a Victoria St address. The stolen vehicle has not been recovered. He allegedly entered the address of the victim and stole the keys from a table. He has been charged with reckless driving, driving whilst disqualified, burglary and unlawful taking of a motor vehicle. The stolen vehicle is a green coloured 2001 Toyota Camry station wagon registration AJW670. If anyone has information contact police.
Sunday , January 24
Police were called to the Commercial Hotel after a Waihi man allegedly attempted to steal the cash register. He was caught by staff and patrons who held him until police arrived. Police took him into custody and he will be appearing in court soon.
A Thames woman was arrested and charged with fraud after allegedly selling fake farm equipment to victims via Facebook. She will be appearing in court soon.
Crime prevention advice
If you're into online shopping make sure you only use websites that are reputable and have safe money transaction processes like PayPal. Not all websites ending with "co.nz" are NZ-based. Preferably only use sellers based in New Zealand; offshore fraud transactions are very difficult to investigate for various reasons and more often than not offenders get away with their crimes and your money. Only purchase from websites with the "https" prefix in their URL so you know there's a degree of security before entering your card details. Beware of Facebook Market Place and Buy, Swap, Sell pages which are fraught with danger for buyers. If you do use Facebook pay cash on pick up only.
Police contacts
Report crime online at 105.police.govt.nz - If it's already happened call 105. If it's happening now call 111. For traffic matters call *555 (mobile phone only). To remain anonymous call Crimestoppers 0800 555 111. Paeroa, Waihi and Whangamata police station public counters are open business hours and police are working in the area 24/7.
