Police say that three youths were caught joyriding on golf club vehicles at Chinderah late last Friday evening.
The three boys left the McDonald’s at the BP Service Centre at Chinderah at about 11.10pm and walked to the Chinderah Golf Club.
There, the lads, aged 15 and 16, found several golf buggies parked outside a storage shed. They removed an oil dip stick from a nearby lawn mower and used this to attempt to start a golf buggy without success. They then opened and entered a storage shed where they found a set of keys for an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) which was parked inside the shed.
They drove a golf buggy a short distance down the concrete path until the buggy stopped – They pushed the buggy back to its original location and re-entered the storage shed where they removed a set of keys and unlocked a secure the roller door.
ATV on the fairway
The three reversed the ATV out on to the golf course fairway and took turns driving the ATV around the 9th hole fairway of the golf course. The manner of driving caused the tires of the ATV to tear up grass from the fairway, exposing the dirt underneath, causing considerable damage to the fairway.
The caretaker of the golf course heard the storage shed open and advised the Manager of the Golf Course. They made attempts to locate the young person’s using their vehicle headlights.
On seeing the headlights, they trespassers ran from the Golf Course.
Police attended and reviewed CCTV footage and began patrolling the area. A short time later police located the three young persons at the Chinderah Inspection Station.
The boys matched the description of the three observed in CCTV footage from the Golf Club.
Three boys arrested
The lads were placed under arrest and conveyed to Tweed Heads Police Station where they were interviewed by Police. Two of the youths were dealt with under the Youth Offenders Act, and one was charged with Driving without consent, Malicious damage and Aggravated Break and enter.
He will appear in Tweed Heads Children’s Court on August 18.
Idiots spoiling the fun of other idiots!