A driver in Colorado (USA) tried to avoid a drink driving penalty by switching places with his dog after being stopped by the police.

The man was pulled over by a patrol car around 12:30 p.m. on May 12 for allegedly driving 52 mph (83 km/h) in a 30 mph (50 km/h) zone, Springfield Police said. The driver neatly switched places with his dog, who was sitting in the mother-in-law’s seat, until the officer approached the vehicle. The motorist then got out of the passenger side of the vehicle and claimed he was not driving.

The man appeared to be highly intoxicated, police said, and when the patrol asked him if he had been drinking, he took off running. Let’s say he didn’t get far, he was caught 20 meters from the car.

The driver was taken to the hospital, where he was examined, and from there the road led straight to prison. Charged with, among other things, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, speeding and resisting arrest.

The dog is not charged, he escaped with a warning and was handed over to a friend of the driver.