Wash. man caught in HOV lane with unbuckled dummy

BELLEVUE, Wash. (AP) - The State Trooper pulled over a commuter in the HOV lane for a run-of-the mill seat belt violation after spotting the belt buckle dangling on the passenger side. What he found was anything but.

The passenger did not need to be belted in. The passenger was nothing more than a rain jacket draped over plastic piping, topped off with a Halloween mask of Gandalf, the "Lord of the Rings" wizard, a beard and a baseball cap.

Patrol spokeswoman Christina Martin told The Herald of Everett that the driver acknowledged trying to beat traffic by using the HOV lane.

The trooper issued a $124 ticket and confiscated the dummy.