Police are naming a man and a woman they believe were involved in a robbery in the small country town of Woodville earlier this month during which a man was attacked with a baseball bat.
The incident occurred on Saturday, 11 July when the victim, a 40-year-old man from the Tararua area had an appointment to visit a house in Atkinson Street in Woodville. He briefly spoke to a woman at the address before being confronted by two men, one of whom had a baseball bat.
He was beaten, his vehicle keys and bank card were taken and he was forced to disclose his pin number to his attackers. While the armed man held him at the address the other man drove the victim's van to the ATM in Vogel Street and withdrew a small sum of cash from his account. When the offender returned to the address they released him but not before threatening harm to the victim and his family if he contacted the police. During the ordeal the victim saw a third man at the house.
The victim later discovered that approximately $8,500 worth of tools were removed from the victim's vehicle including Dewalt power tools, nail guns, a ram set gun and an Ole Omac chain saw. None of this property has been recovered.
The victim didn't need to go to hospital but did have to seek medical treatment. He had facial injuries, chipped teeth and other bruising.
One of the men believed to be involved in the attack and the person who went to the ATM is being named as 29-year-old Donald Georges Keepa who is a patched Mongrel Mob member. He is currently wanted to arrest for breaches of his prison release conditions. The woman at the address is believed to be Keepa's partner, 27-year-old Darnell Faulton Rumbal, who is Maori, about 158cm tall and of thin build. Keepa and the other two men are also described as Maori.
The house has been unoccupied since the attack. Keepa and Rumbal may still be local as they have lots of associates in the area but they also have known links to Wanganui and Rotorua.
Anyone with any information about this robbery of the whereabouts of Keepa and Rumbal should contact their local police station or Detective Shane Brown of the Tararua CIB on 027 230 3457.
Media enquiries should be referred to Communications Manager Kim Perks on 06 351 2546 or 027 234 8256.