Story By:  Ana Marjanovic, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency:  Newsflash

This hilarious police photo shows how a drunken man tried to evade arrest by hiding under a white blanket.

The bizarre incident took place in the US city of Belfast, in the north-easternmost state of Maine, earlier this week.

The Belfast Police Department said officers were called to attend a disturbance at the Admiral Ocean Inn in Belfast at around 9.30pm on Sunday, 1st May.

The perpetrator was identified as drunken Philip Dulude, whom officers removed from the premises and warned he risked arrest if he returned.

However, at around 0.40am the following morning, the cops said they found someone sat on a chair with a blanket draped over themselves while patrolling the car park.

In a pantomime moment, the officers removed the blanket to reveal a sheepish Dulude – age not reported – underneath.

The Belfast Police Department said in a statement: “Here at Belfast Police Department, we have seen some crafty ways of hiding from the police. This, unfortunately, is not one of them.”

One netizen wrote “Wait is this an episode of Scooby-Doo”, while another commented, “He almost got away with it!”

The police reported that Dulude was arrested for criminal trespass and violation of bail conditions.

Police Sgt Matthew Cook told local media that the suspect was taken to jail, where he was held overnight.

He pleaded guilty at an arraignment on Tuesday morning before being returned to prison for the remainder of the day. He was eventually released at midnight.