Good cop, bad cop: Drink-drive controversy divides rural town

Jono Erwood

In the tiny Taranaki fishing village of Mokau, locals have whitebait nets nailed to their floors. It's the only way to sew the seams straight and, with open-slather season two weeks away, the locals would usually be putting their heads together; bickering over prime spots on the Mokau River.

But this year there's one topic hotter than the mass migration of tiny fish. It's the suspension of Mokau's only policeman, who was breath-tested at a crash scene in the backblocks of Taranaki.

Jonathan "Jono" Erwood drove 2.5km to bring the town's only oxygen tanks to the scene and witnesses say he didn't appear to be intoxicated - at worst he was just 80mg over the limit.

Now friends and neighbours can't quite decide whether he's a scapegoat who should have been let off with a warning - or a rulebreaker who should have been more careful about everyone, including himself, sticking to the law.

Clint Ratima, 32, of Aria and Jennifer Trentham, a 48-year-old New Plymouth physiotherapist - died in the crash. Jennifer's husband Richard was taken to Taranaki hospital with serious injuries.

Serious Crash Unit investigators say Clint, heading north, failed to take a corner and slammed into the Trenthams.

Earlier in the day, Clint and Erwood, who were close friends, had played golf. Clint had been driving home from Erwood's place when the accident happened, about 5.20pm.

Last week, the talk of the town was whether their policeman did the right thing in driving to the crash site.

Erwood volunteered a blood test, is suspended from duty and under legal advice not to talk. But the tiny, whitebait-mad town he's served in for five years is only too happy to oblige. Margaret from the pub rings, late, after the Herald on Sunday spent a day door-knocking in Mokau.

She's nice, Margaret - she worries about her town, the oldies who fill up flagons at the bar and, of course, "our copper". "There's two sides to every story," she says. "This is just ripping us all apart. So be careful with our community, won't you sweetie?"

Mokau is a town where the hairdresser lands the heaviest snapper of May, the policeman and his mates are towed around the golf course on a "booze bus" - a bar table with swivel chairs welded in place, and a shelf for chilly bins - and the butcher doubles as deputy fire chief.

Graham Putt lights up a cigarette and takes a wander round the fire station, which is next to the St John's shed, which is next to the butchery.

"It was just another accident," he says. "It was pretty messy."

Graham and his crew were at the scene in eight minutes.

They were alerted by Bill and Jean Miles, whose holiday park was 50m south of the three-car crash.

Graham called 111. When the message filtered through to Erwood he drove his police car - and the only oxygen tanks that could possibly reach the injured people in time - 50m from his house, to the corner opposite the St John's shed. There he stopped and agonised. He knew the ambulance volunteers would take at least 15 minutes to make the drive from Tongaporutu.

The town siren sounded twice - meaning it was "all hands on deck", says Gloria - before he made the decision to drive the 2.5km to the crash site. Erwood arrived about 15 minutes after the fire crew and witnesses say he went straight to Mrs Trentham, who was critically injured. Graham says Clint died on impact.

Bill and Jean say Erwood didn't seem intoxicated, that his was a hard position to be in and he was a good cop trying to do a good job.

Gloria is definite: Erwood was hard done-by. "For him to lose his job over a silly little thing like [perhaps] being 85mg over [the drinking limit] is just ridiculous. That's just, what, one extra handle? And anyway, you arrive on a scene and you're sober, just like that."

No one seems too sure exactly who breath-tested their (mostly) beloved cop, but they've already dubbed him "Snakey". "Someone from Waitara," is the general consensus - and most agree that he should have told Erwood to go home, get some dinner in him, and forget any pesky 85mg.

What, then, makes a good cop? Hard to tell, in this town - a man who reportedly made 16 formal complaints about the local ploddy instead produces a piece of refill paper, with a list of 16 things he doesn't like about Erwood.

"There are aspects to Jono that are good," says one woman. "He has been a great cop to my kids." Her friend says Stephen Richardson, Erwood's predecessor, was more objective. "Straight down the middle, no mucking around, tickets for everybody."

Some shake their heads and say this double fatality was only a matter of time - bending in close to splutter about a "culture of booze", "antics" - and the spirits Erwood reportedly learnt to distill during a two-and-a-half year stint on the Chatham Islands.

The drinking games at the pub are legend. Plate-races - where the lads clench dinner plates between their buttocks - are apparently a particular favourite.

But even those who would be glad to see the back of Erwood feel sorry for him now.

Most say they would have done the same thing. They think Erwood will probably lose his job, and they worry about his family.

His wife Julie works part-time at Mokau School; she's on the soccer committee and runs Special K Marathons. The Erwoods, originally from Stratford, have been married 11 years and have two sons,Terrell (7) and Riley (5).

"Don't bother coming over here," Erwood says over the fence, after spotting a notepad.

He has been off work since the Monday before last, pottering about in the police house that looks over the wild, grey Taranaki surf.

Blood test results should be back tomorrow. If positive, Erwood will be charged with drink-driving, and a handful of people will rejoice. Others will shake their heads and feel sorry for a cop they reckon is a bloody good bloke.

Then they'll all go fishing.