BREAKING AND ENTERING

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5072, 7 January 1927, Page 3

BREAKING AND ENTERING

PATETONGA STORE BURGLED. A MIDNIGHT CHASE. At the Morrinsville Court on Friday last Frank Hubbard, a young man who was admitted to probation about a fortnight ago ’for the theft of. a camera, was again before Mr C. M - Gummer, J.P., on a charge of allegedly breaking and entering the store of Norman K. Evans at Patetonga on December 23 and stealing therefrom goods to the value of £4 10s. Accused was remanded, bail being allowed in two sureties o’f £lOO. Hubbard appeared on remand on Wednesday morning bdfpre Messrs C., M. Guriimeir and G. Howie, J’s.P., and pleaded guilty through Mr W. McPherson.

Norman Keith Evans, a general storekeeper .carrying on business at Patetonga, said that the shop was a lock-up one, with the residence about 50 yards away. He left the shop at about 10.30 p.m. on December 23, accompanied by his assistant, George Garry, leaving everything intact. About’ 11.45 o’clock that night he was awakened by .an assistant, Frank Sardelic, knocking at one of his room windows. He immediately got up, and, from something Sardelic told him, he awakened Garry and Hector Robertson, the latter being the local postmaster, residing at Evans’ They all went to the shop and saw a light in the building. They .took up positions at the three respective doors, with Garry and himself at tl.e front’dour, Robertson at the le'ft-ha.M •side door,’and Sardelic at the right-hand-side d°or,. Thev heard somebody inside the building trying to open the right-hand side door', and simultaneously Sardelic called out, Her|e he is.” This caused Garry and him to proceed to that door. As the intruder did not put in an appearance they returned to the front door, but when they got to the corner of the shop they saw a man' escape, out of the front door. Witness.said he could not recognise the offender owing to the fact that it was a dull moonlight light. The man held his arm up oyer his head, which was no doubt Tor the purpose of avoiding identification.. AH he had on w.as a sjhir.t and a pair pt trousers. He was a tall, athletic young man, answering the description of a'ccused. He ran along the Pate-tonga-Morrinsville main road, and they chased him, but he soon outdistanced them and disappeared out of sight. They then returned to the store and found that the left-hand side door had been burst open. The catch end o’f the tower bolt was. forced off. Outside the right-hand door wafe, found a parcel of clothing containing a pair of trousers, two shirts, a cotton singlet, and a pair of men’s boots, of a total value of £4 10s. This parcel was lying on top o'f an old overcoat. The clothing produced had beep removed 'from the shop. Just about that time the offender was alleged to have been seen along the, road, and they .all went in search of him, but failed ,to locate him. On their, return they found a pair of shoes under a truck ju|s ( t opposite the shop across the road. Later tlw. samq night witness was attracted by the sound of a horse feeding with the bridle on in Muir’s paddock opposite the. shop, and, on going to investigate, he. 'found a grey horse with a bridle on. The horfee was loose in the paddock. While he. was looking .at the horse a stone was thrown on to the roof of his shop, apparently by accused to try and draw attention away from the horse so that it could be recovered. However, he took charge of the. lior.se and later handed it over to the police, together with the bridle; He had known accused (who is better known as King Tehee) for the. last six yeais. For about twelve months, about three yearfe, ago, .accused was employed by witness* after school hours and -on Saturdays and school holidays assisting in the shop. Accused had been away from fcr aboutnine months. He knew accuec.d to be a fast runner. When he saw the man running away on the night in question from hi's, shop he thought the man had thft same style of running as accused. A hat was found the following morning near the shop by Keith Chapman.

John Henry Sweeney, police detective, stated that as a result of inquiries made Detective Culloty, Constables Devereaux and Jackson and himself located accused at Te Hoe, about 20 miles from Morrinsville and 18 miles from Patetonga, on New Year’S Eve, and they brought him to Morrinsville. He was there interviewed by Detective Culloty and witness, and he made a signed statement admitting the of■fence. In his statement Hubbard said that after leaving the locality of the store he travelled all night to Te Hoe, taking horses from the roadside for part of the journey. Accused was committed to the Supreme Court at Hamiton for sentence. Bail was allowed in his own and another surety o'f £lOO each.—Morrinsville Star.