Colorado driver trades places with dog in an attempt to avoid DUI arrest

SPRINGFIELD, Colo. — A driver, who was pulled over for speeding late Saturday night, tried to switch places with his dog to avoid arrest, police in Colorado said.

After clocking a car at 52 mph in a 30 zone and pulling it over, an officer watched the driver maneuvering inside the car before he got out on the passenger side on Saturday night in Springfield, a town of about 1,300 people on the state’s Eastern Plains, police said in a Facebook post Sunday.

The man said he was not behind the wheel and clearly showed signs of being drunk, police said. When the officer asked about how much he had had to drink, police said, the man ran — and was caught within about 20 yards.

After being taken to the hospital to be checked out, the man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and driving while ability impaired, as well as for previous warrants for his arrest.

As for the dog, police said: “The dog was given to an acquaintance of the driver to take care of while the party was in jail. The dog does not face any charges and was let go with just a warning.”