File photo. Ōpua in the Bay of Islands.
Photo: 123RF

Police in Russell have made a third arrest in their investigation into a prolific Bay of Islands boat burglary ring.

A 36-year-old located at Ōhaeawai on Wednesday morning appeared in the Kaikohe District Court later that day charged with a burglary at a popular Kerikeri market, breaking into a yacht at Ōpua Marina and stealing a car in Whangārei.

Jordon Norton Vincent Terrance Creighton, whose profession was given in court documents as a roofer, is due back in court on 3 October.

Senior Constable Mike Gorrie, of Russell police, said Creighton had also been jointly charged with another man of stealing a boat from Ōpua Cruising Club.

Gorrie believed Creighton was also connected to a person arrested in Kerikeri just over a month ago.

He acknowledged the help he had received from members of the public, particularly in Russell, Paihia, Ōpua and Kerikeri.

“We now have three people facing nine burglary and theft charges. Without the public’s help it would’ve taken a lot longer, and we wouldn’t have got the result we did,” Gorrie said.

One of the men arrested earlier, 35-year-old Karl Hunt, appeared in the Kaikohe District Court on 27 July charged with stealing an $80,000 boat from Russell and three counts of breaking into vessels at Paihia.

Hunt fled on foot when located by police in the Wharau Rd area but was tracked by a police dog and arrested.

On 3 July he was allegedly disturbed by the owner of a commercial vessel at Paihia that had been repeatedly targeted for fuel.

Hunt was said to have run his dinghy aground in the dark about 4am and had to swim to Motuarahi Island near Paihia.

He was seen clad only in his underwear on Paihia’s main road later that morning after apparently swimming back to the mainland.