Ronnie Ricks drove up to a fully-marked police cruiser in a McDonald’s drive-through to ask the officer in the vehicle for directions.

Sounds like a bright idea, right? Only according to Slidell, LA police, Ricks was driving a stolen SUV.

The officer says Ricks asked her how to get to the Interstate, but she had to repeat the directions several times because he couldn’t understand her.

So when Ricks pulled out of the the fast food parking lot, the cop had her dispatcher check his license plate, and sure enough, the SUV had been reported stolen that same day.

A detective tracked down Ricks in the hot SUV a short time later. He was allegedly also carrying pot.

Ricks, 26, is charged with "possession of stolen things" and possession of marijuana. He’s in jail pending a bail hearing.