Police entry OK

A drink-driver who left his bloodstained upturned car in a ditch was unsuccessful in claiming police had no right to enter his home. Samuel Ericksen, 39, pleaded guilty to careless driving, but not guilty to drink-driving. He defended the charge in Napier District Court, with his lawyer, Scott Jefferson, saying that police had no authority to enter Ericksen’s house. An officer found an injured Ericksen in his house. A blood sample revealed an alcohol reading of 195 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood, more than twice the 80mg limit at the time. Judge Tony Adeane found Ericksen guilty and fined him $870 and disqualified him from driving for six months.