Allegedly Stoned Man Arrested for DUI Tells Cops His Dog Was Driving
Just before puking and just after allegedly crashing his car into a house, Florida resident Reliford Cooper reportedly told the police arresting him on DUI charges that he was not the person driving his car. In fact, Cooper said, a person wasn’t behind the wheel at all. “My dog was driving that car,” he said, according to WFTS.
The accident took place Wednesday night, when a Manatee County deputy tried to pull Cooper over after the purported dog owner allegedly ran a red light. In the process of fleeing the officer, Cooper allegedly drove into one ditch, overcorrected, drove through another ditch, and then into a nearby home. Then he took off. From WFTS:
Cooper got out and started running behind the homes, according to deputies. A K9 tracked the man and found Cooper’s T-shirt in front of a church at 1720 18th Street East.
Shortly after, a pastor from the church located a deputy and told her someone was hiding in the bathroom inside the church. Churchgoers forced the man out, and the deputy took him into custody.
As he was being arrested, Cooper allegedly had a few questions for officers. “Who was chasing me?” he asked. “You’re slow as shit.” Later, he tried to explain the crash and the subsequent chase.
“My dog was driving that car,” he said. “I ran because I wanted to. You ain’t gonna find no drugs or guns on me.”
WFTS reports that shortly after finishing that statement Cooper began to vomit. Police said both Cooper and the crashed car smelled strongly of alcohol and weed. Cooper was arrested and charged with DUI, aggravated fleeing, and leaving the scene of an accident; no dog was found at the scene.
