Los Angeles - A man accused of drunk driving and crashing his truck into a lamp post told police a unicorn had been at the wheel when it careered off the road, local media reported on Wednesday.

Phillip Holliday, 42, pleaded not guilty to felony charges of criminal endangerment and drunk-driving when he appeared before a court in the western state of Montana on Tuesday, the Billings Gazette reported.

The court heard that Holliday has five previous convictions, four felonies, 35 misdemeanours and 53 traffic violations - including 28 convictions for driving with a suspended licence.

His March 7 crash in Billings was witnessed by two police officers, said prosecutor Ingrid Rosenquist, but Holliday still insisted a unicorn was driving when he slammed into the street lighting, shortly after jumping a red light.