A man in Alabama was arrested for littering after be placed flowers at his fiancee's grave.
According to WTVM, Winchester Hagans, of Auburn, faces criminal littering charges for leaving a hand-built flower planter next to the grave of Hannah Leigh Ford, his fiancee.
And the man who signed off on the charges is his would-be father-in-law.
The 27-year-old woman died in a car crash in January 2021. The couple had gotten engaged just a month prior. She was on her way home from visiting a potential wedding venue when the crash occurred. The accident occurred only a mile away from her home.
The charges against Mr Hagans were signed by Tom Ford, Ms Ford's father.
“I just want to be able to put flowers by my fiancés grave,” Mr Hagans said.
The grieving widower said he had no idea why Mr Ford would support prosecuting him for leaving flowers at the woman's grave.
Mr Hagans said he left flowers in a dirt planter at the grave because Ms Ford had told him in the past that she liked living flowers rather than cutting them for bouquets.
“Even though she is gone I promised her I would never bring her cut flowers again. She was the love of my life the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with,” he said.
Prior to placing the box, Mr Hagans said he sought the city's approval for its placement. According to him, the city said they did not police gravesite memorials unless a family specifically requests an item be removed.
He was arrested shortly after he put the box at the woman's grave.
“The officer came over and said, ‘Hey Mr. Hagans can you step out of the car there is a warrant for your arrest.’ I said, ‘No, that’s impossible there’s no way,” he said.
Mr Hagans said his would-be father-in-law never contacted him before the arrest.
Mr Ford has not commented publicly about his role in Mr Hagans' arrest. The Independent has reached out for comment.
According to the city's website, gravesite memorials are allowed so long as they meet the city's specifications.
