Australian couple set upon taxi driver
A local taxi driver was allegedly set upon by an Australian couple without any apparent motive, allegedly hit in the face by the woman and pushed up against his vehicle by the man in Memorial Street just after 8.15pm on Sunday, 6 July.
Sergeant Tracy Haggart says the woman in the front passenger seat allegedly struck the taxi driver in the face for no reason with the back of her hand. He stopped the car, and they all got out of the vehicle when her partner grabbed the driver’s phone, throwing it on the ground, stomping on it and smashing it.
"He then allegedly pushed the driver up against the vehicle,” Haggart says. When Police arrived, the driver was on his phone and the Australian pair had walked away.
A 33-year-old Australian man will face charges of assault and wilful damage in the Queenstown District Court on Monday, 14 July, while a 38-year-old Australian woman will face a charge of assault.
Thief tailgates into underground car park on a BMX
A 35-year-old Tauranga man allegedly stole a car from a private underground car park with secure roller doors in Cow Lane after tailgating his way in on a BMX bike behind another vehicle overnight on Thursday night (3 July).
Haggart says the man was allegedly captured on CCTV and then his description was matched to four shoplifting offences from three local stores, also through CCTV footage, around the same time in which more than $800 worth of goods was stolen.
Sunglasses and perfume worth $357 were stolen from Life Wilkinson’s Pharmacy, possible silicon or glue, likely concealed, a Bunnings bag and staff apron from Bunnings, and food on two occasions from Four Square Queenstown.
Haggart says the car had been reported stolen sometime between 9pm on 3 July and 7.48am on 4 July.
The alleged offender was found and arrested on Brecon Street-Cemetery Road at 11am on Tuesday, 8 July. He was charged with unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, four charges of shop theft and failing to provide details to Police. He will appear in the Queenstown District Court on 9 July.
Trespassed for freedom camping
A 48-year-old Dunedin was arrested for trespass near the Oxenbridge Tunnel at Arthur’s Point at 10am on Friday, 4 July, after apparently previously being trespassed by DOC, likely for freedom camping. Haggart says it’s likely there was some sort of confrontation with the public and Police were called. The man will face a charge of trespass in court on Tuesday, 15 July.
Black ice accident on Kingston Road
Police are reiterating warnings to beware of black ice after a vehicle slid on black ice on the Kingston Road near Jack’s Point at 7am on Friday, careering across the highway and coming to rest against a fence. Thankfully, nobody was injured.
It’s one of a number of black ice accidents lately and Haggart says drivers are urged to drive to the conditions, slowing down if there’s a possibility of ice, or if it’s frosty or foggy, taking all corners cautiously.
“Expect loose grit, ice or black ice on the roads,” she says. In recent weeks there have been some very heavy frosts at their worst when people will be heading to work, with a few vehicles slipping and sliding on corners.
It’s a problem across the Central Lakes region with Road Policing Group Sergeant Bruce Martin also saying icy roads are “unforgiving, especially in the south’, which has some of the most intense winter conditions in the country.
Police are urging drivers to make sure they’re well-rested, take regular breaks, check their speed and wear seatbelts. “If you want to look at the scenery, please pull over in a safe area or designated rest stop,” Martin says.
Central Otago Police apprehended an 18-year-old woman allegedly clocked at 149km/hr n State Highway 6 between Queensbury and Cromwell on Sunday. She received a $630 fine and had her licence suspended for 28 days.
Drink driving
A 51-year-old Wanaka man allegedly blew 1391mcg on Friday. He had his licence suspended for 28 days and will appear in the Queenstown court on 18 July.
A 20-year-old Oxford man allegedly blew 597mcg after rolling his car in a traffic accident on Frankton Road just after 4am last Wednesday, 2 July. Haggart says the vehicle allegedly veered off the side of the road before rolling. The man will face a charge of drink driving and one of careless driving in court on 28 July.
A 20-year-old Queenstown man, 739mcg at 3.45am, Thursday, 5 July, Howards Drive, Lake Hayes Estate. Court 18 July.
