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Police in Louisiana stopped a vehicle with a license plate that expired in 1997.

A police officer stopped a driver in Slidell, Louisiana, whose vehicle had a license plate that expired September 1997. Slidell Police Department

The Slidell Police Department shared a photo of the decades-old license plate in a recent post on its Facebook page, saying, "We can't make this stuff up."

The statement had been shared more than 700 times and garnered 1,800 reactions since it was posted Feb. 28.

The driver of the vehicle, whose identity was not disclosed, told police: "Sorry, officer. I've been busy lately and totally forgot to renew my vehicle registration."

He promised to take care of it as soon as he got home, police said.

Slidell police advised those who like to "switch tags" to at least give officials "a good challenge and don't use a license plate" that is more than 20 years old.