Crimeline - drugs, assaults, drink drivers and rescues
A dope dealer busted, a very drunk wrong way roundabout driver, a vicious bar patron, and backcountry and paragliding rescue missions are all in the line-up this week.
Busted
A routine Police licence-and-alcohol check became a mini drug bust when a suspended driver was stopped on Glenorchy Road at 1.13am on Monday, 13 January. Police noticed a cannabis grinder on the vehicle’s dash, prompting a warrantless search during which they found a total of 43gm of cannabis, along with a knuckle duster. Constable Amanda Shute says a 24-year-old local man was charged with possession of cannabis for supply, possession of an offensive weapon and driving while his licence was suspended. He is scheduled to appear in the Queenstown District Court on 24 February.
Driver five times the limit
A local 27-year-old male driver blew a breath alcohol level more than five times the legal limit after he was allegedly stopped driving the wrong way around a roundabout at Frankton with no headlights on just after 1am on Friday, 10 January. Shute says the man was breath tested allegedly blowing 1076mcg/l breath, was charged and will appear in the Queenstown District Court on 31 January. His licence was suspended for 28 days.
Security guard punched
A 23-year-old Queenstown man assaulted a security guard, punching him in the head four times while being removed from Rhino’s Bar just before 2am on Thursday, 9 January. He appeared in the Queenstown District Court, pleaded guilty and was convicted and fined $350, Shute says.
Paragliding accident among heli rescues
St John Ambulance and Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter crews were kept busy this past week. A paraglider was airlifted to Southland Hospital after an accident in the Skippers Canyon near Coronet Peak just before 2pm on Sunday, 12 January. Two helicopters responded and a St John spokesperson says no patient status is available.
There were two callouts to incidents in Mount Aspiring National Park on Saturday, 11 January – one just after midday involving a patient in a moderate condition flown to Lakes District Hospital and one just before 8.30pm involving a patient in a serious condition flown to Dunedin Hospital from Makarora. No further details could be provided.
On Friday, 10 January, a patient with minor injuries was airlifted from Mount Earnslaw, near Glenorchy, to Lakes District Hospital and on Sunday, 12 January, at 5.39pm a patient with minor injuries was airlifted from Fiordland National Park to Lakes District Hospital.
More drink driving
A 23-year-old local man, stopped while driving on Frankton Road not wearing a seatbelt at 2pm on Saturday, 11 January, blew 86mcg/l breath as the holder of a zero-alcohol interlock licence. Shute says the man was charged and pleaded guilty in the Queenstown District Court on Monday, 13 January. He was disqualified from driving for 28 days and fined $200.
A 20-year-old man, 712mcg, Church Street at 3.17am, Sunday, 12 January. Appears in Queenstown District Court on 31 January. Licence suspended for 28 days.
A 34-year-old Queenstown man, 600mcg, Lake Esplanade, 10.31pm, Friday, 10 January. Appears in Queenstown District Court on 31 January.
A 27-year-old Southland man, 647mcg, Frankton Road during licence and alcohol check, 10.55pm, Thursday, 9 January. Appears Queenstown District Court on 31 January.
Where there’s smoke there’s fire – caution urged
Fire and Emergency Otago Lakes Group assistant commander Nic McQuillan is reiterating calls for people to exercise caution in the Queenstown Lakes Central Otago area now that a restricted fire season is in place.
The region is definitely drier which poses greater risk although McQuillan says they’re pleased that people appear to be taking the change to a restricted fire season, implemented just before Christmas, seriously. While there thankfully haven’t been a lot of callouts the thick plume of smoke blanketing parts of Queenstown on Tuesday after strong winds whipped up during a controlled burn-off just south of Kingston was testament to how fast things can change, he says.
“It just showed how fast wind can move fire.” That burn off was within the Southland open fire season. More than eight fire trucks and two helicopters worked to get a vegetation fire under control at Mount Pisa the same day. The cause of that was unknown.
