He went on a crime spree lasting months. A cigarette butt was his downfall. Photo / File
He went on a crime spree lasting months. A cigarette butt was his downfall. Photo / File
He did a burglary, had a smoke at the scene but left his cigarette butt on the ground.
It was the start of a crime spree that saw Te Urewera Lionel Epiha go on to break into the Life Education mobile classroom bus parked at the Murupara Library and stealmore than $9000 worth of equipment including 14 laptops.
But it was that cigarette butt that helped police nail him for his crime by tracing his DNA.
Epiha, 30, has appeared in the Rotorua District Court and pleaded guilty to eight charges including burglary, theft from a car, two counts of driving without a licence, receiving stolen property valued at more than $1000, unlawfully possessing ammunition, giving false details to police and theft.
Details of his offending can now be made public after court documents were released to the Rotorua Daily Post.
Epiha, from Murupara, went to a business property on Kahikatea St in the town sometime between March 25 and May 3 last year. The property had been left vacant because of the Covid-19 lockdown procedure.
He forced open a rear window and stole two flat-screen televisions, a Ryobi drop saw, a Ryobi planer, a Ryobi vacuum and a 10 litre pail of paint.
A police summary of facts obtained by the Rotorua Daily Post said police did a forensic examination of the building and found a cigarette butt inside. The butt was examined and DNA on it was linked back to Epiha.
But before police arrested him, Epiha broke into the Life Education bus sometime between 10pm on September 16 and 9am on September 17.
Te Urewera Epiha appearing in the Rotorua District Court via audio visual link. Photo / Andrew Warner
The summary said he broke into the bus, which was parked on Pine Drive outside the Murupara Library, and stole 14 laptops valued at $460 each, a data projector valued at $1682, a JBL Party Box speaker valued at $500, a reversing camera display valued at $339 and a remote control for a television valued at $49.
He also attempted to remove a large drop-down TV screen but was unable to. He left the scene with all the equipment.
Police examined the scene and found Epiha's fingerprints on the TV he tampered with.
Reparation of $9010 is being sought.
Between September 7 and 8 a Ford Courier Motor vehicle was stolen from a private Taupō address.
The vehicle was valued at $1000 and at the time it had $1800 worth of electronic tools in the rear.
On September 30, Epiha was found to be the driver of a ute on State Highway 2 at Pāpāmoa.
Information was passed to police about the ute by a Tauranga city camera operator as the registration plates on the front and rear were different.
The summary said police caught up with the ute as it turned from Old Te Puke Highway and into Manoeka Rd at Te Puke.
When police asked his name and details, he gave the name of Meihana Epiha.
After questioning, he admitted he gave his brother's name and he didn't have a driver's licence.
Inside the vehicle, there were 20 shotgun cartridges in a small bag on the passenger's seat. Epiha has been forbidden from driving since October 2017.
Epiha told police he bought the vehicle off an unknown man on Facebook and paid $800.
Police again stopped Epiha on October 13 driving on Main Rd, Murupara, without a licence.
Epiha has also admitted a charge of theft after he failed to pay for $40 worth of petrol from the Gull service station at Waiotapu on September 1 about 2.30pm.
The summary said after putting $40 worth of petrol in his vehicle, he went back to the driver's side, leaned into the vehicle to look for something but then got in his vehicle and drove off.
He told the police he didn't have any money and was going to tell the staff but didn't. He said he was going to go back the next day to pay.
