A drink-driver fled police on foot in Napier. When police released him, his car had been stolen

A man trying to evade checkpoint early in the morning of December 19, was caught unlawfully on property after fleeing the vehicle, and then, he says, his car was stolen. Photo / File

A car left parked up for the night after its driver was taken in for drunk-driving and other offences was stolen from the side of the road and hasn't been seen since, according to a claim made in Napier District Court.

On Wednesday in Napier District Court 25-year-old Napier man Jessy-Dean Reti, of Napier, pleaded guilty to four charges relating to his driving and attempts to evade a police checkpoint near popular Napier bar quarter West Quay on a night six days before Christmas.

His lawyer Alan Cressey said the defendant had told him the car vanished because it had not been secured by police and it had the keys left inside.

Reti had, however, already abandoned the car in Lever St, in the Ahuriri industrial district, having moments earlier evaded the checkpoint in nearby Bridge St.

Police prosecutor Sergeant John Ashfield said Reti had driven on the wrong side of the road without the headlights on, when he was first seen by police at a checkpoint in Custom Quay. Reti then swung left, drove over a traffic island, headed south on Bridge St and evaded police.

Soon afterwards police became aware the car was parked in Lever St, and used a dog to track the man to a nearby property.

In court Reti, who had one previous drink-driving offence, pleaded guilty to charges of dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, being unlawfully on property, and refusing to provide a blood sample for alcohol testing.

Cressey said the defendant had an interlock order – which allows the demobilising of a vehicle with an alcohol-impaired driver – but he had no vehicle to be interlocked – the reason being the car had disappeared.

Judge Geoff Rea sentenced Reti to 60 hours' community work and disqualified him from driving for nine months.

Police told Hawke's Bay Today that for privacy reasons they were unable reveal if the car had been reported missing.