A mechanic took a police car out for a day of mayhem, spinning tyres and sharing footage of his impromptu test drive online.
Veteran New Plymouth hoon and wheel alignment technician Mark Robert West, 36, escaped a jail sentence on Friday. Family said he was keeping a low profile.
"Ididn't even know that it happened," a relative said from New Plymouth yesterday. He refused to reveal Mark's whereabouts but said the family wanted to get on with life.
West was supposed to perform a wheel alignment on a police patrol car last July. Instead, the Max Pennington Auto City employee took the car for a road test, the Taranaki Daily News reports.
West revved the patrol car and spun the rear wheels until they smoked. He filmed his antics with a cellphone and posted footage online. After taking the car back to work to align the wheels, he took the vehicle out for more skids. Other workers later noticed the car stank of burning rubber.
Max Pennington Auto City was contracted to do maintenance work on police cars, and company director Daryn Pennington said the firm would keep its contract. "It didn't affect our relationship with the police," he said. "They know if anyone steps out of line, it's instant dismissal."
West is believed to have quit shortly after the hooning. He was arrested a few months later. After further police inquiries he was accused of possessing stolen goods but later underwent drug and alcohol treatment and fulfilled curfew obligations.
