David Lidstone, 82, did not appear in court Thursday in a fight with a Vermont landowner in a part of the woods near the Merrimack River that he called home for 27 years before his cabin burned. . Accident during fire.
Because he did not appear at the hearing before he was arrested, a judge on Thursday described Lidston’s absence as a “seemingly deliberate” move and charged costs to cover some of Giles’ costs. He said Lidston faces a $ 500 a day fine if he does not leave the woods on April 11th.
“I’m not sure why he missed her,” said Jody Gideon, a kayaker who befriended Lidston years ago. A call to Lidstone’s phone number was unsuccessful on Thursday.
A judge in 2017 issued an order for River Dave – as Leadstone is known – to leave after landowner Leonard Giles filed a lawsuit. But there were delays in the case: aside from the pandemic, Lidstone did not always appear in court and was imprisoned and released because he resisted the order.
Court records state that the undeveloped property has been owned by the Giles family since 1963 and is used for timber harvesting. Lidstone said a few years ago the current owner’s father promised – but nothing was written – that he would let him live there. He also confirmed if he was on the property in the first place.
“I have great sympathy for Mr. Lidston,” Judge Andrew Schulman said Thursday. “But that’s really it.”
Giles’ lawyer Lisa Snow Wade replied, “I look at it from a different perspective. The person who should sympathize with this is Mr. Giles, an 86 -year -old veteran who suffered from it. It’s not easy for him emotionally, or you know, financially. ”He said he paid more than $ 39,000.
Snow Wade offered Lidstone a financial fine and said his incarceration did not change his behavior.
Earlier this month, Lidstone told The Associated Press, “I know my days are counting here,” a day after he was arrested and acquitted. Pause Land Tax. “Ultimately, I have to move on.”
Lidstone, known as the friendly face of kayakers and advocates for the river’s cleanliness, isn’t sure what he’ll do next or where he’ll go, though he has offers for more accommodations and more. $ 200,000. Donations.
Lidston, a professional woodsman, was accused of sitting in a village hut built on Canterbury land. The two-level wooden A-frame cabin has solar panels, small and cramped kitchen with pots hanging from the ceiling and curtains on the windows. Its balcony has a chair with legs, whose base is stacked with beer cans. He made a beehive out of a wood stove. He attached lights, mirrors, and clothes hangers to the cabin logs. It also has a vegetable garden.
But before Lidston was jailed for a property dispute, his office burned down in August while being demolished at Giles’ request. The Canterbury Fire Chief said the fire was an accident.
Lidston, representing himself, was ordered to take the remaining property and leave. An explosion of support followed. He never thought he would be able to return მოღუშული And he lived with some friends. But in late fall, he made the shed that survived the fire a temporary home with a wood stove.
Shulman said Shulman, Shulman said, received permission from Lidstone last year to rent a meter to give him “spiritual peace,” but has not been able to pull anyone in.
It has not been easy for Lidston to notice his appearance on the court. There is no access to the property, which is approximately one and a half miles (2.4 kilometers) into the woods. In January, according to a motion filed by Snow Wade, in January a single-server crashed, fell on the shore and injured his leg while trying to reach Lidston in the woods.
“Mr. Lidstone has been described as a sympathetic figure in the media because he is an 81-year veteran who wants to live a romantic life without the web,” another plaintiff said in December.
Source: Huffpost
