PHOENIX — The Grinch came early for an Arizona driver who tried to pass off an inflatable figure of the Dr. Seuss character as a passenger.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety says a state trooper last week noticed a car in a high-occupancy vehicle lane on Interstate 10 in Phoenix with a “Seusspicious-looking” green passenger.
While the gag may have caused the officer's heart to grow, it did not stop the driver from getting cited for being in the HOV lane during a restricted time.
The agency, however, could not help but post a photo of the Grinch figure with the driver's face blurred on its Twitter account.
Officials say they appreciate the “festive flair” but that the driver's action was still illegal.
They are urging motorists to follow traffic laws.
Over in the Florida Keys, the Grinch was spotted actually helping deputies enforce traffic laws.
Monroe County Sheriff's Colonel Lou Caputo donned the prickly green costume to surprise drivers speeding through school zones with the option of taking home a ticket or an onion.
“It catches them off guard,” Caputo said. “But when I give them a clear choice of a citation or the onion, they will take the onion. And I’ve had them eat the onion right in front of me.”
Caputo, a 37-year veteran of the agency, conjured up the concept more than 20 years ago, shortly after the live-action movie starring Jim Carrey came out in theatres.
“It’s about education, awareness that our school zones are still operating even though it’s the holiday season,” Caputo added. “We want people to slow down.”
10 Tampa Bay's Andrea Chu contributed to this report.
