Driver tried to switch seats with his dog to avoid DUI arrest

The dog did not go down for the crime

The incident took place in Springfield, Colorado, Saturday, around 11.30pm.

The driver was stopped for allegedly driving 52mph in a 30-mph-zone and then attempted to get his dog to take the rap by conducting the seat swap in plain sight of the approaching officer.

The Springfield Police Department said in a post on Facebook: "The driver attempted to switch places with his dog who was in the passenger seat, as the SPD officer approached and watched the entire process.

"The male party then exited the passenger side of the vehicle and claimed he was not driving."

The driver, who police did not name, appeared intoxicated, and when asked by an officer if he’d been drinking, ran away, the post added.

The man was apprehended about 20 yards from the vehicle, police said.

He was then taken to a hospital where he was medically cleared, before being booked into the Baca County Jail on charges including driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, speeding and resisting arrest, police said.

The dog was handed over to a friend of the driver while he was in jail, the post said.

“The dog does not face any charges and was let go with just a warning," the force joked.

Related links:

• Mountain rescue sent up Scafell Pike to stretcher dog ‘too tired’ to walk down
• Harrowing moment drink driver knocks cyclist, 70, off her bike – then drives over her
• Husband of bride killed on wedding day speaks out for the first time
• Puppy found with swastikas and ‘don’t feed this f dog’ drawn all over her body
• ‘My dog is so big people mistake him for a pony or a lion’
• Japanese man spends £12,480 to look like a border collie – and it kind of works
• Woman’s loyal dog pictured following her coffin to final resting place
• Dog dying of cancer tries a McDonald’s cheeseburger for the first time