‘Come on grandpa,' deputy jokes as he escorts tortoise strolling on Marion County road

A Marion County deputy gave a unique escort over the weekend when he spotted a creature walking down a road.

A tortoise was taking a stroll down a road when Deputy Bryan Bowman drove up to it.

Bowman said he was concerned that other drivers wouldn't stop for the tortoise, so, he turned around, flipped on his lights and slowed traffic to keep the little guy safe.

MARION COUNTY, Fla. — Download: WFTV mobile apps

Bowman followed the wandering tortoise for about 20 minutes until it crawled off the road and into the woods.

The deputy joked about the pace of the tortoise, saying, "Guy's easily 100. I tried to talk to him, he snapped at me. Come on grandpa. I got places to be."

You can watch the video below:

THE NERVE OF THIS GUY!! Folks, it’s time for another episode of “Deputies Walking with Wildlife”... MCSO Deputy Bryan Bowman was working at the KP Hole today and as he was driving, he saw THIS dude just walkin’ down the road. Seeing multiple traffic infractions occurring, Deputy Bowman flipped around behind him and threw on his lights to slow down traffic. He tried to get him off the road but he snapped at Deputy Bowman....the nerve!! Deputy Bowman then just followed the old man for about 20 minutes until he finally went into the woods... anyone know what kind of tortoise this is? #slowwwwwwsunday Thanks to Deputy Bowman for catching this wild encounter on tape and for sharing it with us!!
Posted by Marion County Sheriff's Office on Sunday, July 15, 2018

More Florida stories:

Mistaken identity at sheriff's office causes problems for Fla. man

Dogs allowed on Cocoa Beach... for now

F lorida economy hits $1 trillion GDP milestone

Cox Media Group