Category: Hume Travel Radio Network

A man has been charged after police allegedly discovered an amount of drugs and a firearm in his vehicle that crashed on the Hume Highway in Tarcutta yesterday.

A report will be prepared for the Coroner following a fatal crash in the state’s Riverina today.

About 2.50pm (Friday 26 February 2016), emergency services responded to reports of a motorcycle crash on the Hume Highway, about 20km north of Holbrook.

The 65-year-old male rider was thrown from the bike. He sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to Canberra Hospital, however, died on route.

His pillion passenger, a 56-year-old woman, was also thrown from the bike. She sustained multiple fractures and was airlifted to Canberra Hospital.

The Hume Highway was closed to southbound traffic for six hours while police from Albury Local Area Command investigated the incident.

$1 million in cash was uncovered when police pulled over a car on the Victorian border overnight.

The intercept occurred at Wodonga on the Hume Highway at about 8.30pm yesterday. Two large sport bags were found in the boot which allegedly contained the massive cash haul.
A 35-year-old woman was charged with possessing the proceeds of crime and remanded to appear at Wodonga Magistrates’ Court today.

Wodonga Crime Investigation Unit is handling the case.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the robbery of a taxi driver in Wagga Wagga last night.

About 11.30pm (Monday 22 February 2016), a 39-year-old man was driving his taxi to Turvey Park to collect a passenger.

When at the corner of Lindsay and Trevor Street, he collected the male passenger who got into the front passenger seat.

Once inside the vehicle, the man produced a knife and threatened the driver, demanding cash.

The driver handed over a sum of cash and the passenger fled from the car.

Police are now searching for a man described as 183cm, or 6ft tall, and at the time of the robbery he was wearing a black balaclava and gloves that had a white skeleton pattern, with black clothing.

Anyone who may have information about this robbery should contact police at Wagga Wagga.

Police are appealing for witnesses as they investigate a house fire in Goulburn yesterday.

About 3.30pm (Saturday 20 February 2016), emergency services were called to the house on Lithgow Street after receiving reports of a fire.

Fire & Rescue NSW officers extinguished the fire; however the property was completely destroyed.

Officers attached to The Hume Local Area Command attended and established a crime scene, which will be forensically examined.

No one was injured during the incident.

While inquiries are continuing, initial investigations have led police to believe the blaze may have been deliberately lit.

Any witnesses, or those with information, are urged to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers.

A highway patrolman has admitted writing fake traffic infringements for non-existent drivers.

Leading Senior Constable Stephen Alan Saltmarsh wrote the tickets, supposedly following traffic stops on the Hume Highway at Gundagai between May and July 2015.

The 39-year-old highway patrolman pleaded guilty to 18 charges of unlawfully modifying the restricted police database, and three counts of knowingly making a false statement.

Facts tendered to Wagga Local Court showed Senior Constable Saltmarsh used the Police COPS database to enter infringements against drivers purportedly from the UK, Thailand, Germany, USA and China.

It later emerged there was no record of such people entering Australia, and their ACT numberplates had never existed or did not match the type of vehicle described.

“The accused expressed remorse during the [police interview],” facts tendered to the court stated.

“He stated he knew what he was doing was wrong, but was unaware that the creation of the reports or submission of the infringement notices and defect notices was a criminal offence,” the facts said.

The infringements included minor defects, speeding and seatbelt offences, driving in the wrong lane and inappropriate use of high beam lights.

The Police Professional Standards Command started Strike Force Stonegarth to investigate, after the State Debt Recovery Office raised concerns about the fines, including that there was no in-car video evidence provided for roadside stops associated with the tickets.

The court was told the police database login screen displayed a warning that improper use could result in fines or jail.

A NSW Police Force spokesman said Senior Constable Saltmarsh was currently suspended from duty, but continued to receive pay.

He is due back in court for sentencing in March.

Police are investigating after shots were fired at a home in Albury early this morning.

About 12.40am (Friday 19 February 2016), police were called to a home on Alma Street, Albury, following reports of shots fired.

On arrival, officers located a hole in the front of the house and damage to the ceiling in the front bedroom.

The 22-year-old male resident was uninjured.

A crime scene was established at the home, which was examined by specialist forensic officers.

Initial inquiries indicate the incident is targeted.

Detectives from Albury Local Area Command are investigating the incident and are appealing for anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.

Police have charged two men following an alleged assault yesterday evening.

About 7.30pm (Wednesday 17 February 2016), emergency services were called to a block of units on Chifley Crescent, Kooringal, following reports a man had been injured.

Police have been told two men allegedly assaulted a 58-year-old man. He suffered a laceration to his face.

Officers from Wagga Wagga Local Area Command attended and commenced an investigation.

A short time later, about 8.10pm, police arrested two men – aged 18 and 19 – and they were taken to Wagga Wagga Police Station.

The 18-year-old man was charged with aggravated break and enter and commit serious indictable offence, and affray.

The 19-year-old man was charged with aggravated break and enter and commit serious indictable offence, affray and possess prohibited drug.

Both men were refused bail to appear at Wagga Wagga Local Court today (Thursday 18 February 2016).

They were remanded in custody to appear at Wagga Wagga Local Court on Monday (22 February 2016).

A weed is creating havoc for residents in Victoria’s northeast.

Some Wangaratta locals are frustrated after large amounts of tumbleweed rolled into town — blanketing their homes, cars and driveways.

The tumbleweed, known as hairy panic grass, has reportedly inundated an entire Wangaratta street.

Resident Jason Perna said it took hours to clean the grass from his property.

“It is frustrating. You know that you’ve got a good couple hours work ahead of you and that’s always sort of displeasing,” he said.

Neighbour Pam Twitchett said the weeds had covered her outdoor dining setting.

“We’ve got a table and chairs and a daybed and probably a few plants,” she said.

Ms Twitchett said clearing the tumbleweed was tiring.

“It’s physically draining, and mentally more draining,” she said.

Cheryl Lengrand spent a day clearing her yard of the weeds, only for them to return the next day.

“I spent eight hours yesterday cleaning up the tumbleweed and this is what I’ve got today,” she said.

Hairy panic grass is common in the Wangaratta area, but this year’s dry conditions has contributed the problem.

The residents believe an unkept property across the street is to blame for the tumbleweed.

Police have seized laptops, mobile phones, bicycles, watches, rings, car keys, golf clubs and numerous other items – all of which are suspected to be stolen goods – from a home near Wagga Wagga.

As part of ongoing inquiries into property theft and drug supply, Wagga Wagga Police executed a search warrant inside a home on Mumford Street, Ashmont, shortly after 10am yesterday (Tuesday 17 February 2016).

Inside the property, officers located and seized numerous items suspected of being stolen, including:

– A ride-on lawn mower;

– Three bicycles (including an expensive road-racing bike);

– 22 laptops;

– 43 x watches;

– 61 mobile phones;

– Numerous electronic items including video game, digital cameras, tablets, hard drives, USB sticks, and DVDs;

– Jewellery, including more than 100 dress rings;

– Golf clubs;

– Car keys; and,

– Personal identification documents.

Police also seized five grams of a crystal substance, believed to be Ice, and a quantity of firearm ammunition.

A 32-year-old resident of the home was arrested at the property, before being taken to Wagga Wagga Police station where he was charged in relation to an outstanding domestic violence warrant. Granted conditional bail, he is due to appear before Wagga Wagga Local Court on 18 May 2016.

As yet, no one has been charged in relation to the suspected stolen items; however police do expect to lay charges once their inquiries are complete.

Wagga Wagga Local Area Commander, Superintendent Bob Noble, said police are now in the process of cataloguing all of the property.

“We expect the cataloguing process will take us around a week,” Superintendent Noble said.

“After that time, we will endeavour to reach out to victims of recent robberies to see if any of their goods may be among the items we retrieved yesterday.

“We ask victims to hold off calling us for the next week while we catalogue the property. To speed up the process of getting goods back to their rightful owners, we encourage victims to pull together details of their stolen items – receipts, photographs, warranties – so that we can cross-check them with the items we now have in our possession.”

Police inquiries are ongoing.