Crimeline: Home accommodation host allegedly threatened
A local in-home accommodation provider got more than they bargained for after a 49-year-old male North Island guest allegedly threatened them on Saturday.
Constable Amanda Shute says the man was charged with speaking threateningly and performing a threatening act towards a person in a house, after a disagreement with the accommodation provider. He was also charged with refusing to give his identification details to Police and was remanded in the Queenstown District Court on Monday to reappear on 21 October. Shute wouldn’t confirm if the man was an Airnbnb guest with the matter before the courts.
Who’s got the kids?
With the school holidays and daylight saving approaching this weekend, Police are warning parents to be know where their kids are after issues in previous school holidays with teenagers congregating in residential parks and at skate parks and causing trouble.
Shute, who’s the local Community and Youth Constable, says parents need to know that their kids are with who they say they’re with.
“We urge parents to be aware of where their teens are as we see an increase in anti-social behaviour during the holiday periods,” Shute says. “Know where your kids are and who they’re with as Police and Community Patrollers will be monitoring parks and skate parks, especially in residential areas where young people are known to congregate,” she says.
She’s urging parents to keep in touch with other parents to discourage any behaviour that could affect the rest of the community.
Late snow dumps cause severe avalanche risk
Warnings have been heightened to beware of the severe avalanche risks in the southern region after a skier was buried under a metre of snow when caught in an avalanche near Treble Cone on Monday (23 September).
The man, who miraculously escaped uninjured, was with an experienced group, including three avalanche professionals who cleared his airway and dug him out quickly. It was the second human-triggered avalanche in the area in two days. A person also died after an avalanche in the Arrowsmith Range area in Canterbury yesterday (Wednesday).
Queenstown Alpine Cliff Rescue Team co-ordinator Russ Tilsley is urging extreme caution with so much snow this late in the season.
“When you get a lot of snow at this time of year there’s a lot of heat in the snowpack and we’re getting more daylight hours so things can change quickly,” Tilsley says. “You’ve got to watch for solar radiation which affects the snowpack as the day goes on.”
He’s advising anyone heading into the backcountry to check the Avalanche Advisory on avalanche.net.nz and glean as much information as they can from that and also from ski patrollers or DOC staff.
”Things are pretty titchy out there at the moment so you really have to be on your game and know what you’re doing at this time,” he says. Tourists unaware of local conditions should check with their local tour group advisors, or clubs, and Small Planet Sports downtown. “They have great knowledge and know where to send people.”
Driver hits parked vehicle
For the second week running a local driver has collided with a parked vehicle, this time a 52-year-old man at Lake Hayes. He’s been charged with driving in a dangerous manner and is due to appear in the Queenstown District Court on 1 November.
Stolen vehicle found
Police recovered a vehicle stolen locally near Oamaru on Monday (22 September) after receiving helpful information about its location from members of the public who’d seen posts on social media. Shute says enquiries are ongoing to identify the suspects.
Drink driving
A 26-year-old Australian woman blew 744mcgs after Police were notified that she had been driving in an erratic manner on Ladies Mile just before 11.30pm on Friday, 20 September.
Police stopped the woman and breath tested her. Shute says she appeared in the Queenstown District Court on Monday, pleading guilty and was convicted and sentenced to a $750 fine and disqualified from driving for six months.
A 31-year-old local woman was also stopped by Police near Arrowtown at 12.45pm yesterday (25 September) and found to be currently disqualified from driving. She was charged with driving while disqualified – third offence and subsequent and will appear in the Queenstown District Court on 4 October.
And a 48-year-old South Island man blew 466mcgs at Frankton at 8.15pm, Friday, 20 September. He appears in court 4 October.
