Man’s year-long crime spree ends in jail
A Taranaki man whose year-long crime spree ended after an armed offenders squad operation has been jailed for 21⁄ years.
Kaoss Price, 21, appeared for sentencing in the New Plymouth District Court on Tuesday, after previously admitting to 33 charges.
In court, Judge Tony Greig outlined some of Price’s crimes, which were committed from July last year to July this year.
They included burglary, theft of motor vehicles, thefts involving family members, thefts of petrol and wallets, multiple police chases after failing to stop, reckless driving, and escaping police custody.
‘‘I’m not going to go through all of them,’’ the judge said.
The judge first told the court about a ‘‘really serious burglary’’, where Price went into an occupied, unlocked home in the early hours of the morning.
‘‘You sat down, you took a cigarette off the table, you lit it and smoked it inside the address before tossing it on the floor,’’ the judge said.
Price then took a set of car keys and stole a car.
In October last year, Price was at his grandparents’ home when
he stole a gold ring from his grandmother and the keys for a vehicle.
The month of November saw a ‘‘series’’ of thefts, and failing to stop for police. On one occasion, officers spotted Price driving and signalled him to stop.
He accelerated heavily into the oncoming traffic, and along a residential road where ‘‘school children were forced to take evasive action to avoid being hit by you’’, the judge said.
Police abandoned the pursuit but Price continued, crashing into two occupied vehicles, one of which had young children inside, then taking off.
When police did find Price, he had 2.5 grams of methamphetamine on him, a metal knuckleduster in his car, and blood tests taken showed he had meth and cannabis in his system.
Price clocked up more theft and failing to stop charges between May and July this year.
On May 28, police found him again. ‘‘You were told you were under arrest, but you managed to break free whilst they were trying to handcuff you, and they couldn’t catch you.’’
Price was eventually arrested in an armed offenders squad operation at New Plymouth’s Lismore St on July 20.
‘‘This is a very brief snapshot of all the offences,’’ the judge said.
The total monetary value of Price’s thefts came to $2780.
Price was sentenced to two years and six months behind bars.
Council collections continued as usual, a media spokesman said.
‘‘We have got our contractors out and about working to clean up rubbish and return bins to some properties.
‘‘If you’ve lost your bin, found one from another property or need to report spilled rubbish, call us on 06 759 6060.’’