A gang member wanted after an alleged Wairoa kidnapping last year has been arrested, found hiding under a bed at a house in Waipawa.
Anzac Gemmell, 37, yesterday appeared in the Hastings District Court on charges of unlawfully getting into a motor vehicle, threatening to do grievous bodily harm, kidnapping and assault with a weapon.
Gemmell, a patched Mongrel Mob member, had been on the run since June 2012 after police said he was involved in a kidnapping in his home town of Wairoa, during which he and two others allegedly entered an associate's car and held a knife to his throat.
Constable Mark Champion of Wairoa police told Hawke's Bay Today this year Gemmell allegedly threatened to slit the man's throat if he did not do what he was told. The victim escaped after offering to buy alcohol for Gemmell and called the police.
Police spokesperson Kris McGehan said yesterday Gemmell was arrested on Thursday after he was found hiding at a property in Waipawa.