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Police track horse manure to solve hit-and-run

Darko Janjevic
February 21, 2017

German authorities have managed to find a 78-year-old carriage driver by tracking the manure-stained hoof prints left by his horse. The Bavarian man confessed to damaging a car and fleeing the scene.

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Deutschland Kutschfahrt auf der Insel Juist
Image: Imago/teutopress

The driver caused some 2,000 euro ($2,109) worth of property damage to a parked car, the police said on Tuesday. The historic town of Grafenrheinfeld, in northern Bavaria, offers horse-drawn carriage tours for tourists. It was not immediately clear if the cabbie was working for the city.

He was seen driving his carriage through the streets of Grafenrheinfeld, near Schweinfurt, on Monday, when a noise from a nearby construction apparently spooked his horse. The animal bolted, causing the wagon to scrape a car parked on the pavement. Instead of reporting the incident, the 78-year-old carriage driver chose to bolt himself, leaving the scene and continuing his journey.

However, an eyewitness reported the hit-and-run to the police, who then found manure and hoof prints at the site of the incident. According to the officials, they then managed to trace the tracks all the way to the culprit's stable. The man confessed to the accident when confronted by the police.