MILLFIELD, Ohio – A makeshift mannequin that failed to fool police monitoring the carpool lane on Highway 36 fetched $15,000 in an auction on eBay, with proceeds going to charity, the buyer announced.
Denver-based Video Professor bought the Styrofoam head, coat hanger, and clothing stuffed with newspapers from carpool scofflaw Greg Pringle, 53, of Broomfield, said Brian Olson, a company spokesman.
As part of his sentence handed down earlier this month, Pringle agreed to donate any profits from a Web site – launched to free “Tillie” after she was impounded by police – and the auction to the Alive At 25 driver safety awareness program.
“We’ve rescued Tillie from a life of crime, and we hope to rehabilitate her so she can be a contributing dummy to our society,” Olson said.
“This is just incredible,” Pringle said.
Pringle also was fined $115 and ordered to hold a sign alongside the highway for four hours reading: “HOV lane not for dummies.” He was pulled over and ticketed Jan. 26 for driving in the lane reserved for carpools, motorcycles, buses, and hybrid vehicles.
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