Police took the unusual step of naming 35-year-old Teina Repia as a person of interest as they tackled Ōtorohanga’s crime wave this week.
Otorohanga. Photo: Hamilton and Waikato Tourism
The announcement came soon after Ōtorohanga mayor Max Baxter said it was only a matter of time before an unprecedented attack on the town’s business community was solved.
Teina Repia
A police statement said a warrant had been issued for the arrest of Repia.
The wave of burglaries rocked the community and prompted the Ōtorohanga District Development Board Elevate to issue a public statement last week.
Speaking to The News earlier this week Baxter said “trust me, the council’s working very closely with police and security to ensure we get to the end of this quickly. We’ll get to the bottom of this; it’s just a matter of time”.
One victim of the crime wave lamented the loss of community watchdog Dennis Kaumoana.
Kaumoana, who owned Pearl Security, died in January.
Kiwiana Leisure Park owner Aaron Hearfield told The News Kaumoana’s late night patrols were invaluable in protecting Ōtorohanga businesses.
“We they need more people like Dennis. We need more or better security, I think.”
“We lost between $8000-9000 in paintball guns, CO2 bottles, hoppers, masks, headphones and a couple of baseball bats,” Hearfield said.
Other businesses thought to have been targeted recently include Origin Coffee and the Flying Horse restaurant.
“While the break-in was disruptive, I feel fortunate that the damage was relatively minor,” Origin’s owner, Lee Fisher, said.
“Other businesses, including Moss and Co, Ōtorohanga Fruit and Vege and The Thirsty Weta, all suffered more significant losses. In comparison, our loss of the till float, petty cash and a damaged doorframe was insignificant.”
It is unclear exactly how many businesses have been affected.
One of the first break-ins thought to be connected occurred more than a month ago and hit all too close to home for Baxter.
“The council’s office was actually one of the first places to be broken into, our customer services part, but they couldn’t get access to the rest of the building, and we have security footage.
Police have advised business owners in Ōtorohanga to check alarms and security cameras are in working order and valuables locked up until, at least, whoever’s responsible is locked up.
Ōtorohanga Sergeant Heyden Nunn urged people to report every event to police.
Mayor Max Baxter and Sgt Hayden Nunn have been liaising over the spate of burglaries.
