Northland news in brief: Guilty plea in KFC robbery and SH1 works

A man has pleaded guilty to robbing the Whangārei KFC outlet, above, in April.

An 18-year-old has plead guilty to the aggravated robbery of Whangārei's KFC. Tray Alford appeared in the Whangārei District Court yesterday and plead guilty to the charge of aggravated robbery on May 20 and a second unrelated charge of intentional damage of a soap dispenser and rubbish bin belonging to Whangārei District Council on April 26. Alford was remanded on bail to be sentenced on September 9.
Police also arrested a second man in relation to the KFC robbery. A 36-year-old has been charged with receiving and is still going through the court process.

Fake pistol

Police descended on the McDonald's carpark in Kerikeri about 4.30pm Saturday after reports that a man was waving a pistol. Senior Sergeant Peter Robinson said police located two youths, aged 13 and 14, in Kerikeri Domain who admitted presenting a fake pistol. The boys, both from Kerikeri, were referred to police Youth Aid.

Northern lanes closed

People heading to and from Northland are advised that northbound lanes of the Northern Motorway (State Highway 1) will be closed for maintenance on Wednesday night, June 26. The northbound lanes of the motorway will be closed between Oteha Valley Rd and Silverdale from 10pm until 5am, the NZ Transport Agency said. The BP Service Station at Dairy Flat and other shops will also be closed. The Transport Agency reminds drivers planning to travel north on SH1 to make sure they have enough fuel to get to the next available service station. There will be a signposted detour on the East Coast Rd.

Dog incident reports

Police were called to the New World carpark in Kerikeri about 3pm on Sunday after receiving reports that a man was beating a dog in his car. Officers spoke to a 57-year-old man from the Kerikeri area who had two dogs in his vehicle, neither of which appeared to be injured. The man's details have been passed to the SPCA and the Far North District Council.

Too many shellfish taken

A man who played a part in taking 3741 cockles from a Northland beach with two other men has been sentenced to 200 hours' community work.
Damien Peterson pleaded guilty to a charge of taking excess shellfish on January 4 this year. The court heard Peterson was with two others who collected 3741 cockles from Pataua South. The legal daily limit for cockles is 150 per person. They told fisheries officers they did not know the rules and were collecting the shellfish for the family.