Article Contributed on: 3/3/2006 11:34:02 AM
Westminster Municipal Judge John Stipech sentenced Greg Pringle for the ticket he received on Jan. 26 for Driving in the HOV lane of U.S. Highway 36 with a dummy in the front seat. Mr. Pringle appeared in court and plead guilty to the traffic ticket issued by Officer Mark Watters.
Mr. Pringle walked into court with a smile and told the Judge that he was guilty. This was not your usual ticket for a single occupant vehicle being driven in the HOV lane, nor was it your usual sentencing. Judge Stipech ordered Mr. Pringle to pay a fine of $100.00 as well as serve six months of unsupervised probation. The Judge ordered the probationary period to facilitate time for Mr. Pringle to sell his mannequin, Tillie, after Mr. Pringle agreed to donate the proceeds from the sale of Tillie and the Free Tillie website to a public safety charity. Judge Stipech advised Mr. Pringle that when Tillie was sold he would dismiss the remainder of the probation.
Judge Stipech did not stop there, continuing with his sentence that Mr. Pringle must serve twenty four hours of community service, which could be reduced to four hours if Mr. Pringle agrees to stand on the Highway with Tillie and a sign that says, “The HOV Lane is not for Dummies.” Judge Stipech was detailed to the point that the sign must be 24’ X 48”, large enough for motorist driving past to read. Mr. Pringle will be standing on the side of the Highway chaperoned by Officer Watters.
A preliminary agreement between Mr. Pringle and Officer Watters is to donate the proceeds to the “Alive at 25” program, which is a course that was developed by the Colorado State Patrol to educate people between the ages of 14 and 25 as to the consequences that come with irresponsible decisions they make. Auto fatalities are the leading cause of death for persons in that age range. The Westminster Police Department was the first municipal agency to join the State Patrol and bring this program to the municipal level. People can take this course voluntarily, which is an approved class by the Department of Revenue to meet requirements to get your driver’s license at 16 or attendance can be court ordered.
It is not everyday that Westminster Officers issue an HOV lane ticket for someone using a mannequin to get by, nor is it usual to have the driver ticketed for that violation to set up a website and auction off his dummy to donate the proceeds to a public safety organization.
A follow up press release will be sent when Mr. Pringle is scheduled to stand on the Highway.