Barringtonia St charges
Kununurra police have laid a string of charges connected with the disturbances that rocked Barringtonia Street in early March.
Following extensive enquiries, a 38-year-old Kununurra man has been charged with carrying an article to cause fear, reckless driving, driving without a licence and aggravated assault occasioning bodily harm.
Police will allege that there had been ongoing fights between many members of rival families during the evening of March 8.
At about 11pm, they will allege, the accused man carried out a chainsaw from his house and charged at people gathered on the street outside, with the chainsaw going.
As he went he revved it causing the people to scatter.
They will further allege that two nights later at 11.50pm, the same man got into his Toyota Land Cruiser and, revving it loudly, drove it erratically along the street verge towards Cassia Street, aiming it at people and forcing one man to jump a fence just as the vehicle crashed into it.
The vehicle was then driven back to the man's house.
Just over a month later, police will allege the same man went to a house in Erythrina Street, where he began issuing challenges for the occupants to fight with him.
They will further allege that as one woman retreated towards the house, the man picked up a rock and threw it at her, hitting her in the crook of the arm and causing her to bleed profusely.
She was later taken to hospital.
Not sober - no licence
Kununurra police have had a busy week with 133 jobs to attend and 37 arrests made.
The biggest group of offenders were drunk drivers with 11 arrested.
Of this number, eight had no licence.
Never learn
If you set about a life of crime as a shoplifter, it's a good idea not to return to the scene of the crime wearing what you have stolen.
Police will allege a 47-year-old Kununurra woman went to a shop in the Coles complex on Tuesday last week and took some clothes from a rack.
The following day, she returned to the shop and staff noticed she was wearing clothes they had noticed missing the previous day.
The woman selected some slacks and stashed them in a carry bag.
Then on Thursday she was back again wearing her new apparel.
Police were called and she was arrested.
She will face two charges of stealing.
Bike jacking
A Kununurra girl was chatting with friends at the sports oval at 6pm on Friday when a youth rushed up and grabbed her bicycle, which she had left about 10 metres from where she was standing.
The youth took off, riding it towards the town centre.
At 8.30pm police on the way to an urgent job spotted the youth on the bike.
An hour later, they caught up with him again, this time walking.
The bike was located and returned to its owner and a 19-year-old youth charged with stealing.
Talking of bikes
Still on the subject of bikes, Kununurra police have got plenty of 'em - about 40 actually.
Lost, stolen, borrowed or abandoned, they have all ended up at the police station.
Snr Const. Ron Dodson said it would be good if anyone who had lost a bike in recent time could visit the police station during normal operating hours with a description of their missing bike.
Hoons beware
There has been a recent increase in youths 'hooning' in vehicles and performing 'burnouts' in and close to Kununurra.
Snr Const. Dodson said police would be taking a no tolerance approach and on a first offence the vehicle would be seized for 48 hours and the driver charged with dangerous or reckless driving.
A second offence would result in the car being impounded for three months and similar charges would be laid.
A third offence would lead to the vehicle being seized for five years.
In all instances owners would have to pay storage fees on top of their fines and possible loss of licence.
Snr Const. Dodson said hooning was a stupid practice because of the damage it did to tyres, differentials and gearboxes as well as the lack of consideration it showed for other people.
He thanked people who have phoned in reports of hoons and urged them to continue to do so.
Call police sooner
People should call police as soon as they spot a vehicle that looks like it has been stolen or dumped according to Kununurra police.
The earlier police can obtain forensics the better chance they have of matching them up with a thief.
Snr Const. Dodson said that, unlike some television shows portrayed, forensic evidence decayed quite rapidly.
His remarks followed the discovery of a vehicle at the end of River Farm Road that had been dumped six days before it was reported.
Lock me up please
Police in Kununurra were told that a man had hit his de facto with an aluminium window frame because she kept following him around shouting at him.
The couple walked from Mirima Reserve to the police station to report the incident.
The man told police: "I need to be locked up away from her."
Serious domestic
A woman, who already had 16 staples in her head, had them ruptured and received another two-centimetre cut to her face following an argument with her de facto in Junior Park near the Coles complex in Kununurra.
Police will allege the pair had been drinking in the park when the man suddenly jumped up and kicked the 23-year-old in the head several times before grabbing her by the hair and dragging her along the ground.
He then set about punching her in the chest.
The incident happened at 6.30pm on Sunday.
Police have arrested and charged a 32-year-old man. |