An Alabama man who placed flowers on his fiancée's grave was arrested for littering after his former future father-in-law complained to police.
Winston Hagans, 31, and Hannah Ford, 27, got engaged in December 2020, about a month before Ford was killed in a car crash.
After placing flowers at Ford's grave for a year, Hagans decided to leave something a little more permanent. In January, he placed a wooden planter box full of flowers and adorned with photos of the couple at Ford's gravesite.
"She doesn't have a headstone yet, so I just made this planter box to put on her grave," Hagans told The Washington Post.
Hagans said city officials gave him the green light to place the flower box at the gravesite unless a family member asked for it to be removed.
"The police don't enforce the law unless the owner of the plot tries to do something about it," Hagans said.
And that's exactly what happened. Ford's father, who Hagans claims never supported their relationship, signed the warrant that led to Hagan's arrest.
Hagan said he was blindsided. He claims his fiancée's father never told him he couldn't leave flowers at the gravesite, and that he only learned of it through the arrest.
David Dorton, a spokesman for the city of Auburn, confirmed to The Post that Hagans was arrested on January 24.
"Any citizen has the right to pursue a criminal charge against another upon showing that sufficient probable cause exists to believe that a crime has been committed," Dorton said in a statement. "In this situation, as is often the case, the Police Department is simply a process server that allows parties in conflict to be before the court. The facts of the case will be presented by both parties and weighed in court."
Hagans is now facing a charge of criminal littering, which carries a $500 fine. He told The Post he's hoping to get the charge dropped at an upcoming court date.
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