Trio in court after car crashes

Three men arrested after a stolen car was crashed and abandoned on the highway between Blenheim and Nelson are now facing a raft of charges.

Police had numerous reports of a driver acting suspiciously on State Highway 6 between Blenheim and Nelson and tried to pull the car over about 8am on Thursday, but the driver refused to stop.

A police spokeswoman said the car skidded off the road at Pelorus Bridge, near Havelock, and the men ran into the bush.

Police set up cordons in the area and asked the community to report any sightings.

A police dog handler found two of the men in the wider Pelorus Bridge area about 10am on Thursday.

After a tipoff from a member of the public about 1pm, the third man was found near the abandoned vehicle about 2pm, the spokeswoman said.

‘‘Police would like to thank the members of the public who provided valuable information assisting in the arrest of the third person,’’ she said.

The trio were all unemployed Christchurch men aged between 22 and 25.

They were arrested and jointly charged with two counts of unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, in relation to two cars stolen in Canterbury, and theft of petrol from the Caltex Blenheim service station.

The 22-year-old driver faced extra charges of drink-driving, aggravated failure to stop for police, dangerous driving, reckless driving, resisting arrest and escaping custody.

They appeared in the Blenheim District Court yesterday, and were remanded in custody to reappear in the Christchurch District Court on November 5.