Crime spree across Canterbury
An alleged crime spree including the theft of thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes, several cars, and petrol, as well as arson, was halted in Waimate on Saturday thanks to an eagle-eyed member of the public, police say.
Timaru Detective Senior Sergeant Richard Quested said three teenagers were arrested in Waimate that night after a spate of offences which began in Kaikoura on March 18.
The teenagers, who Quested said were all from South Canterbury, allegedly stole about $8000 worth of cigarettes from a Night n’ Day dairy in Kaikoura.
The group has been reported to have been seen in Waiau on Thursday.
The Challenge petrol station in Culverden was later robbed and the car used to flee the scene was found burnt out just outside the town on Rotherham Rd.
The Culverden Volunteer Fire Brigade was called to the scene at around 7.20am on Saturday.
The teens have then allegedly burgled a house in Culverden, unlawfully taking a car from the address.
Quested said it was driven to the Caltex station on Dobson St in Ashburton, where petrol was stolen.
The vehicle was later set alight and left to burn in a riverbed near Waimate, for which the three had been charged with arson.
The Waimate firefighters were called to a well involved car fire at a river bed of the Waihao River, near Waimate, at around 7.30pm.
Quested said a sharp-eyed Waimate resident spotted three youths acting suspiciously on Saturday night, called police and ‘‘kept an eye’’ on them until officers arrived.
Police arrived and three 17-year-olds were arrested for arson and unlawfully taking a motor vehicle.
The resident did a ‘‘tremendous job’’ in helping police.
‘‘It’s good to see somebody, a person in the community, taking some positive action when they see something, to call the police, and we get a good result out of it.’’
A 17-year-old appeared in Timaru District Court on Monday morning, where he was remanded in custody to be assessed for possible drug and alcohol treatment.
He was due to reappear on Tuesday morning.
Two other youths, both aged 17, were remanded on bail to appear in court in Timaru on Friday.