A Thai monk busted for drunken driving devised an incredible excuse for being inebriated at the wheel: He claimed that whiskey wards off COVID-19.
"He was drunk but told officers the whiskey prevented him from catching COVID-19," Police Lt. Col. Peerapong Raksi told Viral Press of the incident, which occurred Wednesday in Loei province, northern Thailand.
The alcoholic escapade began after Buddhist monk Phra Thanakorn, 63, was observed stumbling around a market asking locals for money. Afterward, he got into his pickup truck.
Monks are reportedly forbidden from touching liquor, according to local laws.
Alarmed by the holy man's alleged intoxicated state, locals reported the alleged boozy Buddhist's behavior to the police.
"The residents told us that a monk was causing mayhem in the market, so we sent some officers to check," said Peerapong. Accompanying footage shows authorities surrounding the visibly intoxicated religious man, who's in his vehicle, before ushering the barefoot boozer out of the car and taking him into custody.
There, the drunken master reportedly admitted to being overtaken by the "holy spirit."
" 'I took a slice of lime with the whiskey, but I had to drive because our driver had an accident,' " explained the drunken monk, who reportedly struggled to speak or walk, Thailand Postsen reported.
A subsequent breathalyzer test confirmed that Thanakorn was under the influence of alcohol.
When asked about his spirits-soaked antics, the plastered priest claimed that the liquor "helped him to stay immune to the coronavirus.
While the drunk monk was subsequently discharged, Peerapong contacted the abbot at the Mabinthabat Temple — where Thanakorn worked — to provide details of the fiasco, Viral Press reported.
They have since proposed that Thanakorn be disrobed and excommunicated from the monkshood for violating anti-drinking laws.
It remains unclear whether the liquor-loving llama was also penalized for drunk driving, which can result in fines of up to 200,000 baht (approximately $5,500) and prison sentences of up to 10 years—- although leniency is often granted by the police and courts, per the Chiangrai Times.
This isn't the first time a drunken driver has devised a half-baked excuse for their behavior. In January 2020, a Nebraska woman busted for driving while heavily intoxicated told cops not to worry because she "is a professional drinker."
Meanwhile, in an incident in 2018, a Florida man told cops he wasn't drinking while driving — because he waited until his car was halted at stop signs before taking swigs of whiskey.
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