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I’ve said this a few times, but it’s worth repeating.  I do not condone crime.  And I would never offer advice to criminals to help them get away with their crimes.

But it just seems to me that if you’re driving a stolen car, you might want to OBEY THE TRAFFIC LAWS.  You really don’t want to give police any excuse to pull you over.

And if they do happen to catch you in your hot wheels….pull over.  Face the music.  Don’t make things worse.  Because they’re just gonna catch you anyway.

A couple of Erie, Pennsylvania men learned that one the hard way in Cattaraugus County. 

It started when two state troopers who were on a “Buckle Up” enforcement detail on I-86 in Red House spotted a possible seat belt violation and tried to pull the car over.

You guessed it….the car didn’t stop.  Police gave chase, which is where the fun began.  During the chase, troopers say the DRIVER AND BACKSEAT PASSENGER SWITCHED POSITIONS.  It’s a little tough to keep a car under control when you’re doing that, especially when you’re being chased by the cops….so the car ended up hitting a guardrail, and the two guys in the car ended up in custody. 

Oh, did I mention that state police say the guys were drunk?  Which could explain the lack of judgment.  (which also showed up in their choice of vehicle….it was a 1995 Monte Carlo)

And it turns out, one of them was wanted on two warrants….one from New York, the other from Florida.  This just gets better and better.

So here’s your final tally on charges:  For Gregory Westlake, the list includes felony DWI, possession of stolen property, open alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle, and of course the seatbelt violation that started the whole thing.  He’s the one who with the warrants, in case you’re wondering.  For Dana Lindstrom, the list includes aggravated DWI (police say he had a point-24….which isn’t just drunk, it’s really, really drunk), driving without a license, and yes, the seatbelt violation.

I don’t know about you, but I’m just hoping the troopers had a dashboard cam and the tape shows up on YouTube.