Cops Bust Drunk Man Driving in Carpool Lane with His Dog

​Trying to sneak into the carpool lane with a canine "passenger" might not seem like a good idea when you're sober. After a few beers, it's an even worse idea, but no longer necessarily looks that way.

Exhibit A: The man who was busted by police during rush hour yesterday afternoon for driving his Ford pickup truck in the carpool lane illegally. Sure, he had a passenger: a border collie.

According to California Highway Patrol Officer Jonathan Sloat, the man was pulled over, failed field sobriety tests, and was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license.

Authorities identified him as Martin Reid, 48, of Rohnert Park. A records check showed that his California driver license had expired in 1997, and that a license he had from Massachusetts had been suspended, police said.

Sloat told SF Weekly that he could not say whether the man had deliberately hatched a plot to disguise himself as a carpooling driver with the help of his dog.

"That guy was so intoxicated he probably thought the dog was a person," Sloat said.

He added that, after the man's arrest, "The dog was free to go."

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