A Hermitage man is scheduled to answer charges in a Brookfield courtroom Tuesday after police say he told them that his fear of opossums caused him to flee from a traffic stop.

According to the Brookfield Police Department’s Facebook page, a car with a missing headlight failed to stop when police tried to pull it over along Route 82 on Thursday.

Officers say when they eventually stopped the car at Route 422 and Niles Vienna Road, they found pills and a marijuana grinder inside the vehicle.

Police say the driver, 27-year-old Justin Warren, told them that he didn’t pull over earlier because he didn’t know he could stop on a two-lane road and was afraid of opossums that may have been in the weeds along Niles-Vienna Road.

The Facebook post included the comment:

“Drive safe and remember to pull over when you see emergency lights. We promise to keep you safe from the critters that lurk roadside.”

Warren was booked into the county jail on charges of fleeing police, driving with an expired license, as well as a headlight violation.