A Massachusetts man suspected of drunken driving fled from a car crash, climbed a tree and told officers he was an owl, police said.

Police said they saw a Nissan Maxima spinning out of control about 7 p.m. Jan. 3 and then crash into a snowbank near the shoulder, and at least three other cars had to abruptly brake and swerve to avoid the wreck.

The Nissan’s driver then turned around and crossed into traffic and drove nearly a mile while an officer drove behind with his lights flashing.

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The driver, later identified as 37-year-old Troy Prockett, finally stopped, jumped out of the car and ran into some nearby woods.

Police found Prockett’s wallet inside the car, which authorities said smelled strongly of alcohol, and tracked his footprints in the snow.

Officers found him about an hour later, hiding in a tree and making rambling statements about being an owl.

When asked to surrender, police said, Prockett refused in “very slurred speech” and asked officers if they’d caught the guy who was driving before climbing higher into the tree.

When police told Prockett they saw only one set of footprints in the snow, he told them the driver had carried him on his back.

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Prockett then told officers what a good guy he was and again began rambling about being an owl in a tree.

“He continually refused commands to climb down and instead climbed even higher, shaking the branches and saying, ‘Look it’s snowing,’” police said in their report.

Eventually, firefighters were called to remove Prockett from the tree using a bucket truck.

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Prockett was charged with third-offense drunken driving, failure to stop for police, resisting arrest, leaving the scene of property damage and disturbing the peace.

He was also cited for a marked lanes violation.

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[Image: Great grey owl via AFP]