A Dunedin man who stole 750 pills from a pharmacy evaded authorities for weeks before a police chase ended with him crashing into a ditch.
At 1am on April 29, 2021, Hazlett used a steel tyre iron to bash his way into Brockville Pharmacy, where he stuffed 750 pills into his sports bag before escaping.
Among the pills stolen were anti-anxiety medication, anti-psychotic medication and folic acid tablets.
Weeks later he was driving through Brockville when he noticed his ex-partner on the street.
After yelling threats out the window the defendant got out of the vehicle and pushed the victim against the fence, attempting to steal her cellphone.
Hazlett pushed his victim to the ground, before grabbing her by the neck and putting her in to a choke hold.
He fled the scene with the victim’s cellphone, leaving her with minor injuries to her neck, legs, hands and arms.
That evening Hazlett assaulted his then girlfriend, who was driving at the time, before taking her vehicle and successfully evading police on his way to Balclutha.
At about 1am he pulled up outside a motorcycle shop, and used a bat to break in and steal a children’s dirt bike. Merely half an hour later, he was spotted driving erratically by police, travelling north on State Highway 1.
Police followed Hazlett for about 30km as he drove over the centre line multiple times, and missed a set of road spikes set up to bring the chase to a stop.
The defendant avoided a second set of road spikes near the Taieri River bridge, before driving over a third set which punctured all four tyres.
Hazlett continued driving on the car’s rims, throwing items out the window on to the road.
He then drove on to the opposite side of the road, before crashing into a ditch where he was apprehended.
The court heard that Hazlett’s early years were affected by abuse and gang affiliations, leading to chronic substance addiction and a high degree of dysfunction.
Since being in custody he had engaged with Moana House in hopes of undertaking its residential programme on his release.
