Posted on 06/13/2022 7:53:40 AM PDT by grundle
An Alabama man who planted flowers on the gravesite of his fiancee and was arrested at the direction of the woman’s disapproving father was found guilty of littering this week.
About a month after Winston “Winchester” Hagans got engaged, his fiancee, Hannah Ford, was killed in a three-car crash in January 2021 that shattered what was supposed to be the happiest time of their lives. To honor the 27-year-old, Hagans placed a planter box full of fresh flowers and photos of the two of them on her grave in Auburn, Ala.
But earlier this year, Hagans was arrested on a charge of criminal littering. City officials had reassured him that he could put the planter at Ford’s gravesite unless there was a complaint. Then he discovered that a complaint had been filed — by the Rev. Tom Ford, his fiancee’s father.
“The police don’t enforce the law unless the owner of the plot tries to do something about it,” Hagans told The Washington Post earlier this year, adding that his late fiancee’s father did not approve of their relationship.
Hagans was convicted Thursday on one count of criminal littering and ordered to pay about $300 in fines and court costs, the Opelika-Auburn News reported. The 32-year-old man was also given a suspended jail sentence of 30 days that will remain suspended as long as Hagans does not place any more flowers or planter boxes on his fiancee’s grave.
(Excerpt) Read more at webcache.googleusercontent.com ...
The cemetery can only dictate what is placed on the grave as stated in the deed. If no restrictions are listed, you are free to use any memorial you choose.
The two sentences above do not relate to one another. The cemeteries describe exactly the parameters they will allow on the grave in terms of what flowers, fences , borders or bushes are permitted. Anything outside those parameters gets booted
The MEMORIAL is another thing. They usually describe precisely what type ie. flush, brass marker, slant, upright, monolith etc they will permit plus the type and quality of stone, the height of the stone the width of the stone and the thickness of the stone. Deviate and it gets booted. All of this is meant to prevent the ugly trashy ghetto-izing that occurs when people can do what ever they want. (And MAN it gets out of hand fast) In the case of this story the pic looks like they specify flush markers in the section since no stone is visible.
“I thought the same thing. It’s only been less than a year and a half. Sounds like it only took 4 to 6 weeks per wooden box to rot into litter.”
The first one rotted and was tossed by the father.
Subsequent ones were removed by the father and returned to Winston who then put them back up.
“A better argument would be to claim “trespass” as Ford is the owner of the grave. Calling it “litter” is just stupid.”
That is the law. You challenged me to cite the law and obliged you. I posted it to you and you acknowledged that post.
Wow, you’re really straining at a gnat there.
“The MEMORIAL is another thing. They usually describe precisely what type “
And if they don’t you are free to chose what you want.
“The two sentences above do not relate to one another.”
They both are true and both relate to plot deed restriction and what the cemetery will allow.
I remember the old days in the 60s when the police were supposed to be our friends. Today, they are little more than tax collectors for the welfare state. In Jacksonville, where I used to live, an ex-Marine friend of mine used to say, that the City could tax each of us $200/yr and dispense with the police entirely for all the good the blue-suited bozos do.
Ask yourself why the Washington Post would write an a slanted article demonizing a Southern preacher ...
I went back and looked, and if you are having difficulty understanding what I said, I can try and simplify it.
It would help if you gave specific instances regarding the parts you didn't grasp.
In this case, the cemetery had grave markers flush with the ground so that the mowers could just drive over them like any other lawn. The cemetery workers would have had to remove all of the flowers from the flower pots embedded in the grave markers before mowing was done. The workers cemetery would also have had to pick up "Winchester's" box planter at the same time with no problem.
The dark hearted Preacher without doubt only wanted vengeance against Winchester for causing the alienation of his daughter. A small petty man with a chip on his shoulder.
You will respect my authoritah!
Except you didn't. You only quoted a bit of it and I suspect it's only the parts you like. It also isn't so cut and dried clear as you believe it to be in your own mind.
Also, I wasn't talking to you in that response. The other person was "explaining" (patronizing) and I pointed out what was wrong with this thinking.
“I went back and looked, and if you are having difficulty understanding what I said, I can try and simplify it.”
Fully grasping what you said, I say, Wow, you’re really straining at a gnat there.
Which is making an issue out of it. If it stayed there long enough to rot, clearly it had been seen by a lot of people. What is the intended purpose here? To make sure the far fewer people who would visit the site in the subsequent time wouldn't see it?
People fight over stupid crap.
“Except you didn’t. You only quoted a bit of it and I suspect it’s only the parts you like. It also isn’t so cut and dried clear as you believe it to be in your own mind.”
I omitted nothing relevant. The definition is very clear.
Those two statements are mutually exclusive. All this really says is you didn't understand it but are pretending like you did.
So far as you are concerned.
The definition is very clear.
No it isn't.
“Also, I wasn’t talking to you in that response. The other person was “explaining” (patronizing) and I pointed out what was wrong with this thinking.”
LOL! The last sentence which I quoted is pointing out what was wrong with his thinking?
Your post: Calling it “litter” is just stupid.
“No it isn’t.”
Cite the part that is unclear.
Did I remember this wrong, or was that your position?
“So far as you are concerned.”
Cite any relevant parts that I omitted.
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