Accused yet to enter pleas
A man allegedly involved in a carjacking incident in Whangarei is yet to enter pleas.
Rameka Hape, 35, reappeared via audio visual link in the Whangarei District Court yesterday on charges of injuring with intent to injure, aggravated assault, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, attempting to unlawfully take a motor vehicle, and resisting police. He allegedly stole a vehicle from the Paramount Parade shopping centre in Tikipunga on February 10 as two pensioners were loading shopping into their car before leading police on a chase through roads around Kamo. Hape was remanded back in custody to reappear on March 13.
Boy found with vice grips
A 15-year-old boy who was caught and held for the police by Ahipara residents after he was seen lurking in long grass in the early hours of the morning failed to persuade his captors, the police or his father that he had been playing hide and seek with four other youths, whilst carrying a set of vice grips.
Dog attack decision due
The Far North District Council will decide later this week whether to prosecute the owner of a dog that attacked a 94-year-old man. The elderly Kerikeri resident was walking his dog on a leash on the sports field between Kerikeri High School and the Domain on Sunday evening when a dog described as a staffordshire terrier-cross ran across the field and grabbed the smaller dog by the ear. When the man tried to save his pet he was bitten on the legs and right arm. The offending dog, which was not on a leash, was seized on Monday morning from an address on Jacaranda Place by animal control officers. The injured dog had its ear stitched up while the owner was treated at Bay of Islands Hospital and discharged.
Free poles to stop erosion
Farmers whose erosion-prone land drains to the Kaipara Harbour may be eligible for free poplar poles. A joint Northland Regional Council (NRC) and Ministry for Primary Industries initiative is targeting areas of high erosion on hill country in the greater Kaipara catchment which drains roughly one-third of Northland. The two parties split the annual costs of providing the poles. Priority is given to applicants in identified erosion areas or those that have Farm Water Quality Improvement Plans or specific planting plans. The council is also offering half-price poplars and willows from its nursery to other Northland landowners.
Pair due back in power cut case
Two Moerewa men charged in relation to a massive power cut that left the Far North in the dark for 12 hours are due back in court this month. Police allege Nathan John Cooper, 46, and Korey Sesil Pirini, 28, fired a series of shots at pylon insulators in the early hours of December 8, cutting power to the district and causing major losses to Far North businesses. Both are charged with intentional damage, unlawful possession of a .303 rifle and unlawful possession of ammunition. Pirini faces an additional charge of cultivating cannabis. Cooper, who was earlier remanded on bail, is due in the Kaikohe District Court on March 3 for a bail application while both are due back in court on March 7.