Marijuana grow house catches fire
A marijuana grow house went up in smoke in Adelaide’s southern suburbs on Friday night. Meanwhile, a man has been arrested after he allegedly shone a laser a police helicopter.
Police & Courts
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Rolling South Australia police and emergency services news starting Sunday, June 20.
SATURDAY, JUNE 26
MARIJUANA GROW HOUSE UP IN SMOKE
A house with several rooms of hydroponic marijuana plants has caught fire in Adelaide’s southern suburbs.
MFS crews were dispatched to Eugene Cres, Christie Downs, at 7.40pm on Friday following reports of smoke and flames.
Twelve firefighters with three appliances took 10 minutes to extinguished the fire in the vacant property, with damage estimated at $70,000.
Fire investigators found several rooms with hydroponic equipment and marijuana plants.
It is believed an electrical fault associated with the equipment started the fire.
Police will return to the property on Saturday to dismantle the hydroponic set up.
Investigations into who was responsible for the crop are continuing.
Anyone with information can report it anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
FRIDAY, JUNE 25
MAN ‘POINTS LASER AT POLICE HELICOPTER’
A man who allegedly shone a laser at a police helicopter in the southern suburbs has been arrested.
Police in the air noticed the laser being pointed at the aircraft about 10pm Thursday.
Officers on the ground responded quickly, attending a Port Noarlunga South property where they arrested a man, 27. He was charged with acts likely to cause harm, prejudicing the safe operation of an aircraft, and use of a prohibited weapon.
The man was refused bail ahead of an appearance in the Christies Beach Magistrates Court on Friday.
Superintendent Craig Wall said: “Doing this is not only irresponsible but also puts the safety of the helicopter and subsequently the pilot and SAPOL crew at risk.
“The police helicopter regularly engages in lifesaving operations and having this type of incident occur detracts from the urgent task they should be concentrating on.”
FOUR DRIVERS SOUGHT IN SEPARATE HIT-RUNS
Four drivers involved in separate hit-run crashes across Adelaide over that past day are on the run and being hunted by police.
SERIOUS CRASH AT LOXTON NORTH
A man was rushed to hospital with critical injuries following a serious crash at Loxton North.
The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, a 20-year-old Renmark man, left the road and hit a tree on the intersection of Bookpernong Rd and Casson Ave about 6.15am on Friday.
He was rushed to hospital with critical injuries.
The Mitsubishi sedan was towed from the scene.
CANNABIS CROP FOUND AT CUMBERLAND PARK
Police discovered 24 cannabis plants during a search of a Cumberland Park home.
The search of the Hill Ave home followed a police investigation, and about 4pm on Thursday the crop was discovered. All plants were seized.
The plants were being grown hydroponically, and their power source was illegally tapped from the grid, police say.
Nobody was at the address when police attended.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Police ask anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
TWO ARRESTED AFTER SCHOOL BREAK-IN
Two teenagers were charged after they allegedly stole lab coats and a whiteboard pen from Seacombe Heights High School.
An alarm was activated at the school at about 3.15am on Friday morning.
Police attended the scene and saw two people running from the science building heading west.
One of the suspects, a 14-year-old boy from Sheidow Park, was caught by police and arrested on Galway Ave.
The other, a 14-year-old Seaview Downs girl was found hiding under a car.
The boy was charged with serious criminal trespass and theft, after police allegedly uncovered two lab coats and a whiteboard pen in his possession.
The girl was also charged with serious criminal trespass.
Both are expected to be bailed on Friday and will appear in court at a later date.
CAR FIRE AT MITCHELL PARK
Police are investigating a suspicious car fire at Mitchell Park.
A Holden sedan was reportedly on fire about 4.40am on Friday morning on Harkin Crt.
MFS crews attended the scene and extinguished the blaze, but the car was destroyed.
Anyone with information on the fire is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
THURSDAY, JUNE 24
POLICE HUNT TWO HIT-RUN DRIVERS
Police are hunting two drivers who crashed and fled the scene at Ridleyton and Dry Creek.
In the first incident a suspect driving a stolen utility crashed into four parked cars on Hawker St at Ridleyton before fleeing about 6am Thursday.
Witnesses saw the driver running off through the car park of a nearby supermarket.
The male suspect is described as being 175cm tall, medium build, wearing khaki pants, brown boots and a blue waterproof hooded top.
The white Ford utility had been stolen from Beverly in recent days.
About an hour later, a white BMW travelling east lost control on the Salisbury Highway at Dry Creek and crashed into a fence over the median strip causing the car to spin.
The driver fled the scene before police arrived. The crash was reportedly high impact.
Anyone who witnesses the crash or who has dashcam footage from either incidents should call Crime Stoppers on 188 333 000.
SHOTS FIRED AT TWO HOMES
Police believe drive-by shootings at two homes in Whyalla Playford are linked.
Local police responded to reports a bullet had been shot through a resident’s front window about 1.20am Thursday on Rundall Ave.
The resident heard a motorbike take off shortly after the incident.
A short time later, patrols responded to similar reports – that a bullet had been shot at a home on nearby Elliot St – about 1.30am.
Occupants said they saw a man in his 20s riding a Honda dirt bike, with a white dirt bike-style helmet with a camera mounted on it, riding away from the scene.
There were no injuries in either incidents.
Crime Scene Officers are at the scene and believe the two shootings were targeted attacks that were linked.
Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
DRINK DRIVER CRASHES AT MORPHETT VALE
Police have arrested a driver who blew more than four times over the legal limit after crashing at Morphett Vale.
A Nissan sedan crashed into a parking sign and light pole about 1am Thursday on Emmerson Drive.
The driver was breath tested and returned a blood alcohol limit of 0.213, more than four times over the legal blood alcohol limit of 0.05.
The Seaford Rise man, 24, was taken to the local police station where he allegedly became belligerent, and was arrested for disorderly behaviour.
He was charged with aggravated due care, drink driving, and disorderly behaviour to appear in court at a later date.
DRUG CHARGES AT FINDON
A man has been arrested after a police raid uncovered various drugs and stolen goods at Beverley.
The Beverly storage unit was searched on Tuesday night, where police found cannabis, stolen property including bikes, jewellery, two extendible batons, capsicum spray and a large quantity of pseudoephedrine tablets and prescribed equipment.
Police attended the home of a Findon man, 37, believed to be linked to the storage unit, searching the house where they found 50 grams of methamphetamine, 500 grams of cannabis, $3000 cash and more stolen property.
The man at the address was charged with multiple offences including drug trafficking.
He will appear in the Port Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23
BREAK IN AT MCLAREN VALE BUSINESS
More than 30 pairs of sunglasses – worth up to $300 each – have been stolen from a McLaren Vale shop.
The break in and theft of the Maui Jim sunglasses at the Main Rd business happened sometime between 5pm Monday and 8.40am Tuesday.
Both men’s and women’s glasses were taken.
Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the sunglasses has been asked to contact Crime Stoppers.
TWO SUSPICIOUS FIRES IN THE NORTHERN SUBURBS
Two northern suburbs homes were hit in a spate of suspicious fires on Wednesday morning.
A fire started in the front of a Warooka Crescent home in Smithfield at about 2.30am, killing a pet cat.
An occupant of the home was woken by a smoke alarm and then woke four other people in the home, who all escaped unharmed.
The fire was quickly extinguished but it caused $200,000 damage to the home and killed a pet cat.
An hour later, in an unrelated attack, a pile of rubbish was set alight in the front yard of an Elizabeth Downs home.
Police investigations have found a car stopped at the front of the Cavenagh St property and a person poured fuel over the rubbish and set it alight, before running back to the car and leaving.
The occupants of the house had extinguished the fire before police arrived.
No one was injured and no damage was caused to the house.
Police are investigating the circumstances of both fires.
Anyone who saw suspicious activity has been asked to contact Crime Stoppers.
WANTED MAN DARRYL TRELOAR ARRESTED
Police have arrested wanted man Darryl Treloar in Port Augusta.
Treloar was arrested on Tuesday night and charged for multiple offences including aggravated serious criminal trespass and aggravated assault.
He was refused bail, to appear in the Port Augusta Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
CAR FIRE AT ELIZABETH NORTH
A car was found alight in the streets of Elizabeth North overnight.
The white Ford Laser was extensively damaged in the suspicious blaze on Rockbourne St at about 3.15am.
It had been reported abandoned on Tuesday and police seized stolen number plates.
However, the car has not been reported as stolen.
Police are investigating the fire.
TUESDAY, JUNE 22
CAR HITS PARKED VEHICLES AT STREAKY BAY
A four-wheel-drive crashed into two parked cars at Streaky Bay.
The white Toyota four-wheel-drive crashed into a parked car in a driveway, that then was pushed into another vehicle causing damage to all the cars involved last Sunday morning at about 1.30am.
The driver was treated at the scene by paramedics and was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Investigations are continuing. A blood sample was taken from the man to determine whether alcohol was a factor in the crash.
POLICE INVESTIGATE DANGEROUS CRASH AT RENDELSHAM
Police are stunned no-one was seriously injured after a car crashed into a guard rail in the South East.
The incident happened about 5.30pm Saturday, when a maroon car struck a guard rail on Carthew Rd near the Hatherleigh Drain at Rendelsham, near Millicent.
The force of the impact almost resulted in the vehicle breaking through the guard rail and plunging several metres into the water.
The driver fled the scene, and police would like to speak with occupants in the vehicle.
Superintendent Phil Hoff, officer in charge of the Limestone Coast urged members of the public to report poor behaviour on the road to the police assistance line on 131 444.
“This incident is a prime example of how close dangerous drivers can come to causing serious injury or death to themselves and other road users,” Supt Hoff said.
SERIOUS CRASH AT RIVERTON
A young man has suffered serious injuries after a crash at Riverton on Monday night.
The 19-year-old, from Kapunda, crashed into a tree on the Horrocks Highway, in the state’s mid north, just before 10pm.
He was the sole occupant of the Toyota HiLux.
The teenager was flown to Royal Adelaide Hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.
The highway was closed for several hours.
MONDAY, JUNE 21
TWO ARRESTED IN HIGH-SPEED PURSUIT
Two men in a stolen car have been arrested after a dangerous high-speed pursuit in Port Wakefield.
Police first spotted the stolen silver Holden Statesman bearing WA plates travelling at speed along Port Wakefield Rd at Wild Horse Plains about 11am Monday.
The car continued travelling at speed, and began driving on the wrong side of the road.
A police helicopter was deployed and followed the car along a number of dirt roads across nearly 70km in the Gawler River area before the car stopped in Virginia.
The occupants fled on foot but were found by police dog Rusty hiding nearby.
A Cowandilla man, 28, and a Torrensville man, 30, were charged with a raft of offences including failing to truly answer and unlawful possession.
They were bailed to appear in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court in August.
Police ask anyone with dashcam footage to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
POLICE HUNT WANTED MAN
Police have arrested a wanted man a day after appealing to the public to help locate him.
Jared Payne, 33-year-old was wanted for recent offending, including breaching his bail conditions.
Police believed Payne was actively avoiding police.
He was arrested on Tuesday afternoon without incident and no further charges were laid.
Anyone who sees Payne should not approach him but contact police on 131 444 immediately.
AGGRAVATED ROBBERY AT WAIKERIE
A suspect is on the run after threatening a man with a knife in a violent robbery at the Riverland.
The incident happened about 6.10am Monday at the intersection of Crush Tce and Strangman Rd, Waikerie, when the offender threatened the victim with the weapon, demanding cash. The suspect left the scene in a north easterly direction with cash, and no-one was injured. The man is described as being caucasian with a slim build, wearing a black-hooded jumper, dark-coloured jeans and dark-brown boots.
Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
SUNDAY, JUNE 20
SERIOUS CRASH ON KANGAROO ISLAND
A 24-year-old Kangaroo Island man has died in a crash on the island on Sunday morning.
Just after 7.15am, police and emergency services were called to the Playford Highway following reports a car had rolled.
The man, from Kingscote, died at the scene.
Another occupant of the car, a 25-year-old man from Kingscote, has been flown to the Flinders Medical Centre in a serious condition.
It is not yet known who was driving.
The Playford Highway was closed but is now reopened.
Major crash officers from Adelaide have made their way to the scene of the crash.
The man’s death is the 53rd on South Australian roads this year, compared with 45 at the same time last year.
LARGE HYDRO CROP DISCOVERED
A man and a woman have been arrested after a large crop of cannabis was discovered south of the city.
Just after 9.30am on Saturday, police went to a home on Seascape View at Sellicks Beach, where they found a “large and sophisticated” hydroponic cannabis crop.
Nearly 260 plants were seized from six rooms inside the house.
The man and woman, both aged 51 from Sellicks Beach, were charged with cultivating a commercial quantity of a controlled drug, possessing prescribed equipment and diverting electricity.
They were granted bail and will appear in the Christies Beach Magistrates Court on July 23.
TEENS ARRESTED NEAR SCHOOL
Police Dog Judge helped police track down two teenage boys at a primary school in Paralowie on Sunday morning.
About 4.30am, officers responded to an alarm, which had been activated at a school on Halba Crescent.
Judge and his handler attended the scene and saw two youths with torches.
The pair ran from the school but were caught by Judge, then arrested.
The boys, aged 15 and 16, are expected to be charged on Sunday morning.
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