Man ARRESTED for placing boxes of flowers on fiancee's grave after her father signs warrant
An Alabama man who was convicted of criminal littering for repeatedly placing boxes of flowers on his fiancee's grave has now been fined $300. Additionally, Winston 'Winchester' Hagans was handed a 30-day jail sentence, which was later suspended under the condition that he does not place any more flowers on the grave. Hagans' conviction in Auburn city came after Reverend Tom Ford, the father of his deceased fiancée Hannah Ford, signed a warrant against him. Ford reportedly said that he did not approve of their relationship.
The Opelika-Auburn News reported that Hannah died in a wreck about a month after her engagement with Hagans in 2021. Following her death, her father would repeatedly remove small planter boxes with flowers that Hagans would put on her grave. Alabama law allows citizens to obtain arrest warrants in municipal court under some circumstances.
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Tom Ford testified that Hagans placed a total of 10 boxes on Hannah's grave since May 2021. He reportedly either sent the boxes back to Hagans or discarded them. "The first box, when I saw where it was, I picked it up and it fell apart," the Daily Mail quoted Ford as saying. "It was a rotten piece of wood with some pictures on it, so I discarded it." Ford added that he "certainly did not" approve of his daughter's relationship with Hagans.
Municipal prosecutor Justin Clark reportedly confirmed that as per regulations, "benches, urns, boxes, shells, toys and other similar articles" are not allowed to be placed on the graves in the cemetery, which is owned by the city. City employee and cemetery administrative assistant Sari Card said that she told Hagans that Ford did not want him to place the boxes. Sari also told him that Ford was planning legal action against him. "He said he didn't care, that every time a box is removed he would make another one to replace it," she said.
Hagans made a flower boxer for Hannah as she liked living flowers over those cut and turned into bouquets. On the side of these boxes, he attached pictures of them. The defense argued that flower boxes are not litter, but Judge Jim McLaughlin claimed that the boxes were "a clear case of violation of this deed and violation of littering statute", and convicted Hagans in a non-jury trial. "The box does not occur naturally in nature. It is a foreign substance. Whether it's pretty or not is not a consideration for this court," he said. The defense has reportedly planned to appeal the conviction to the circuit court so a jury can hear the case. Besides being fined a $50 fine and $251 in court costs.
According to a website of Hagans, he and Hannah first met at a coffee shop in Montgomery. "I can remember the first conversation that I had with Hannah. I can remember the seat in Prevail I was sitting in. And for the next 2 or three months, we kept accidentally sitting next to each other each time we were in the coffee shop. I even started making sure I kept a deck of cards in my bag so we could play 9’s on the countertop," Hagans wrote on his website. In another part, he wrote, "She was so happy that I loved plants. She let me know that she loved them as well but just could never keep them alive. I told her I could take care of that for her. But to her credit, and to her joy she was so, so happy that she had kept one alive for almost a year. This flower you see up here. I gave it to her on valentine's day last year. Once before that, I had given her flowers...she was thankful. But quickly let me know that I had just given her dead things that she would have to watch slowly die."
"In so many ways we were so different. Something we talked about long and often. But the more life we did together we both knew that our differences were the perfect complement for the other," Hagans wrote.
In a June 3 Facebook post, Hagans wrote, "About this time next week I’ll be standing before a judge at the Auburn City Courthouse. I will be tried. My crime, a flower box adornment placed at the grave of my fiancée. Her father has accused me , the city of Auburn had me arrested and has brought charges against me…even with another 70+ planter adornments placed at headstones in that very graveyard. So we shall see what shall come. Please pray for me, or send good vibes, or whatever you can. Pray for truth, and grace, and justice to be the outcome. He added, "I would also like to say to everyone who has asked me about coming to support. My answer is yes and please. I would love to see you there, hug your neck, and thank you for your love over the past 16+ months. I am so thankful for you all, those of you who have prayed for me, thought about me, reached out, bought me a meal/coffee/beer, or just let me vent…it means more to me than you will ever know. It has honestly saved my life…"
