Houston driver gets caught with buckled-in skeleton posing as passenger in HOV lane

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Authorities have a bone to pick with an accused HOV cheater.

The Harris County Pct. 5 Constable's Office shared a photo of a skeleton wearing a hat, buckled in and riding shotgun in a sneaky Houstonian's car.

Constable Ted Heap claimed the driver was trying to use the skeleton to make it look like he was carpooling, but deputies weren't fooled.

The driver was caught with the skeleton on the Katy Tollway HOV lanes.

HOV, or High Occupancy Vehicle lanes are designated for vehicles with two or more (living) passengers.

Deputies issued a "bone-afide citation" to the driver, according to Heap.

The driver reportedly claimed he really liked Halloween and wasn't paying attention to the signs when he got on the HOV at Barker Cypress.