Man who pulled a gun on police says crime spree was on his ‘bucket list’

Oct 20, 2023

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A man who pulled a gun on police and stole a patrol car says the escapade was on his "bucket list".

Jesse Daniel Nash (41) — who was jailed for five years in October 2020 — was declined early release when he appeared before the Parole Board last month.

The board heard he was "quite negative" about prison-based rehabilitation and had failed to engage in a programme to address his violent tendencies.

The most serious of his crimes came during a spree on March 14, 2020, when he began by stealing petrol from the Omarama Service Station.

Police tried to pull Nash over near Tarras but he accelerated to 180km/h, continuing on the vehicle's rims even when his tyres were spiked, setting fire to roadside vegetation.

Nash was eventually tracked down on a back road in the Cromwell Gorge but when he was confronted by an officer he pulled a long-barrelled air rifle from his boot.

He aimed it at the man, 30m away, prompting him to run for cover.

With the police car abandoned, Nash jumped in and fled the scene.

Near Alexandra he activated the vehicle's flashing lights and pulled over a BMW, donning a police cap and ordering the driver to get out.

Nash made it to Milton in the commandeered vehicle where he was again spiked.

He abandoned the BMW and hid in the township where an extensive search was launched.

It was only the next morning when he was finally arrested.

Nash wrote to the Otago Daily Times from prison to explain more about what happened.

"I don't know what got into me that day but it was a whole lot of fun. It was on my bucket list," he wrote.

"Flying a helicopter is on my bucket list as well."

Nash also said there were further details from his criminal hi-jinks that were overlooked in court documents.

He told the ODT that before he pulled over the BMW, he had stopped another vehicle but pulled back when he realised there was a child inside.

His outfit of a singlet, "short shorts" and a police hat caused some confusion.

"The look on their faces was something I would never forget," Nash said.

The Parole Board heard the Invercargill Prison inmate had 14 pages of convictions to his name, covering a vast range of offences.

He was seen as unsuitable to undertake intensive therapy while behind bars because of his "high level of anxiety" but shorter rehabilitative courses may be workable, a psychologist's report said.

The clinician assessed Nash as a high risk of violent offending and very high risk of general reoffending.

Their individual sessions had focused on the man's emotions, feelings, behavioural issues and relationships, the board heard.

"He said that his violence is driven by methamphetamine and negative influences and he becomes self-destructive."

Panel convener Mary More noted accommodation in the community was available to Nash from mid-September.

His next parole hearing was scheduled for August.

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