Charges may be dropped on lawnmower man

Much like the park John Hamilton wanted to cut, city officials say the story about his arrest has grown out of control.

In a news release Saturday afternoon, city officials accused the media of sensationalist journalism and said they would support the dropping of the charges against Hamilton.

Early Thursday morning, Hamilton, 48, of Sunset Drive was arrested when he refused to follow police orders to stop mowing an overgrown Central Park. He was charged with persistent disorderly conduct and obstructing official business.

Since the incident, media outlets across the country — including The Washington Post and CNN — have picked up the story.

Ex officio mayor Craig Stahl and city manager Matt Kline, whose names are listed atop the city news release, didn’t single out a particular media outlet in the document, but said the city’s side of the story has not been told.

The news release urged people to visit the city’s Web site for more information.

"The sensationalized story of man mowing the grass at one of our parks has taken on a life of its own," the release said. "Sensationalism in journalism is irresponsible."

"The process should not be politicized. Unfortunately, this situation seems to be going down that path."

Hamilton pleaded not guilty to both charges Friday morning in Sandusky Municipal Court.

He has a hearing scheduled at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 3.

The release also said the city will “support the prosecutor’s office and will support whatever decision is made, including the dropping of the charges.”

In the release, Kline and Stahl said that a tough economy has resulted in fewer employees in the services divisions at City Hall and that liability issues were a concern.

They also said Hamilton wasn’t arrested for mowing the grass: He was arrested for not complying with a police order to stop mowing the grass.

All of these issues were reported in Friday’s story in The Register titled, "Sandusky resident arrested while mowing overgrown city park grass."

The release also referenced the city’s Adopt-A-Park program, which allows volunteers to adopt a park. It urged residents to communicate with City Hall before taking actions into their own hands.

It said city employees "acted in a proper manner."

"We are also a nation governed by laws," the release said. "Sandusky respect the process and believes it should be permitted to be completed."

Public reaction to the incident has almost unanimously supported Hamilton.

Residents in the community or on local Web sites have even discussed staging protests or showing up at court to support him.

Even after being arrested, Hamilton felt he still had a right to mow the park’s grass, because he helps fund city parks through his tax dollars.

"Why can’t I (mow the park)?" he asked. "I am a citizen."

According to Hamilton and police officers at the scene, the grass at the park was taller than one foot high.

At the end of the three-page release, the city said it respects Hamilton’s "unbridled enthusiasm" for volunteering and urged him to lead the charge in getting others to volunteer as well.

 

( The Sandusky Register is a FOXToledo.com media partner)