Share
CLOVER, S.C. A 79-year-old Korean War veteran was jailed Thursday evening after he refused to clean up his yard.
John Ramsey was handcuffed and taken away by deputies after a magistrate’s hearing in York.
He sells junk from his Clover yard to help pay for his wife’s care. But the town said it’s an eyesore and slapped him with a $500 fine or 30 days in jail.
Ramsey told NBC Charlotte, the Observer’s news partner, that he wouldn’t pay the fine on principle.
He will serve his 30-day jail sentence on the weekends, being allowed to care for his wife during the week.
After he was led away to jail Thursday evening, his upset wife said he tried to clean up.
"I’m upset that Clover done him wrong,” Ramsey said. “I mean, the code enforcer said he did not put stuff on the side of the road. He did put stuff on the side of the road four or five times, the town of Clover picked it up," she said.
The community also tried to help.
A church came out Wednesday and built a large fence to hide Ramsey’s junk.
