Drivers who were stopped after exceeding the speed limit in the Florida Keys on Tuesday weren't ticketed for their violations; instead, they were given onions -- handed to them by a deputy in a Grinch costume.
The man inside the Grinch outfit was Colonel Lou Caputo, a 37-year veteran of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. His appearance in an elementary school zone on Tuesday marked the 20th year he's delivered the eye-watering message to lawbreaking motorists. "It’s about education; awareness that our school zones are still operating even though it’s the holiday season," Caputo says. "We want people to slow down."
While it may seem un-Grinch-like to let speeders off the hook, Caputo notes only motorists driving less than five miles over the speed limit received onions. The rest were given good old-fashioned citations, he says.