An accused vehicle thief in Huntersville, North Carolina, allegedly deployed several, er, half-brained tactics to avoid getting caught by the police.

If he thought he had a friend…

Local deputies said that they had already arrested another person associated with the same vehicle theft. That individual tipped authorities to the likely whereabouts of their accomplice.

The 42-year-old remained at large while police set up surveillance at his registered address. Once they confirmed his identity and location, authorities watched the man enter the home and created a perimeter around the property.

Deputies went inside but didn’t find the suspect…for 10 minutes.

Turns out the suspect quietly slid under a mattress in a bedroom at the back of the house. WBTV said that after what they called “brief resistance,” deputies made the arrest.

When police found what they believed to be the missing vehicle, someone had covered it in black spray paint, assumingly to avert any initial glances. The cops didn’t fall for it, though.

Since it was now a different color, police just looked at the car’s VIN and license plate numbers.

They got a match. Authorities also found cocaine in the stolen vehicle.

Charges include common law robbery, breaking and entering a motor vehicle, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, and felony possession of cocaine.