Puppies rescued from car bonnet in floodwaters amid man's dramatic arrest
Police officers have run into rising floodwaters to rescue two puppies left abandoned on a car bonnet after the driver allegedly swam away.
Queensland police alleged a man drove his vehicle into the Archer River Crossing in Coen in Far North Queensland intentionally after ignoring road closed signs on Monday.
He then swam away from the vehicle to the northern side of the river, leaving the black and tan five-week-old puppies on the bonnet.
Police realised the puppies would not survive the rising flood waters and Senior Constable Ben Lloyd waded into save them.
Photos show the officer holding the animals after he walked in to the fast flowing water at chest height.
Later in the day, police found the driver near the river. He was told he was under arrest for a series of earlier offences and police allege he then ran back into the river and tried to swim away, but officers in pursuit caught him.
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The 31-year-old Cairns man was charged with three counts of unlicensed driving, two counts of serious obstruction of police, one count each of driving uninsured, driving unregistered, driving without due care and attention, enter premises and commit, wilful damage and stealing.
It will be alleged the man committed a number of property offences in Weipa and Coen over a number of days before stealing a jerry can and fuel from a property on Sunday.
He is scheduled to appear in the Cairns Magistrates Court on March 12.
The puppies were dried off, fed and have been re-homed together.
