A Hamilton man was caught in a lie last week when he tried to pass his damaged car off as stolen to police.

On Thursday, the man reported that his 2006 Mazda M3H hatchback had been stolen. The next day, he called police to tell them he had found his car on Jasmine Street and Deerborn Drive on the Mountain.

It was obvious that the car had been in a collision, police say.

The officer who went to the scene "became suspicious" about the "story the owner was telling," police say. The officer called him out on it, and the man admitted he was lying.

A 22-year-old Hamilton man was charged with failing to remain at the scene of an accident.