Man arrested for shooting his lawnmower.................

Story here

I just read it too... very funny - especially the last quote.

(Edited on 2008-07-26 04:59:39 by kelvinjay)

It was lawn mower rage.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
A 57-year-old south side man, who might have been struggling with a hangover, is charged today with shooting his lawn mower with a sawed-off shotgun.

"I'll tell you the truth," a criminal complaint quotes an apparently inebriated Keith Walendowski. "I got pissed because my lawn mower wouldn't start, so I got my shotgun and shot it.

"I can do that. It's my lawn mower and my yard, so I can shoot it if I want," Walendowski told police.

...Walendowski is charged with a felony count of possessing a short-barreled shotgun and a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct while armed. If convicted of both charges, he faces up to six years and nine months in prison.

The shooting occurred Wednesday at a home Walendowski shares with his mother in the 3500 block of S. Austin St.

According to the complaint, Walendowski had been drinking all morning. Around 9:30 a.m., he attempted to start his 21-inch Lawn-Boy - unsuccessfully.

After shooting the mower, he went in his basement, where he was arrested by police, the complaint says.

Police recovered the shotgun, shells, a handgun, rounds for the handgun and a stun gun.

"Witnesses told people it appeared he had been drinking."

No kidding.



Here's the URL of his photo: http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44865000/jpg/_44865149_-21.jpg

This reply would have a lot more punch with the handy editor stuff at the bottom

I didn't know Nick Nolte lives in Wisconsin. Haha. It makes me feel so good to know this happened about 1/2 hour away from my house. Ugh.

It reminds me of Basil Fawlty beating his car with a tree branch when it broke down.
Fawlty Towers was a British Comedy Classic Series

Oh, so he owned his other guns legally? That's reassuring too.

Well, believe it or not, this is the first crime that this man has ever been charged with (according to the Wisconsin Courts website), so there's really no reason he shouldn't have been able to legally own a gun.

Really, had he not owned an illegal gun, he would have only been guilty of target shooting on his own property. He didn't kill anybody. He didn't threaten anybody. He just shot an inanimate object.

"Well, believe it or not, this is the first crime that this man has ever been charged with (according to the Wisconsin Courts website), so there's really no reason he shouldn't have been able to legally own a gun.

Really, had he not owned an illegal gun, he would have only been guilty of target shooting on his own property. He didn't kill anybody. He didn't threaten anybody. He just shot an inanimate object."

----

And to anyone outside of the states... THAT'S NOT RIGHT. The guy shot a lawnmower. Lawnmower, window, sofa, cat, man? What's the difference?

I'm not saying that it was normal behavior. I'm saying that he didn't threaten anybody. Had he shot a bail of hay with a bull's eye on it, you wouldn't be hearing about this guy. The media loves a sensational story.

Had he owned a Simplicity mower, this would have never happened. Those things start on the first pull just about every time.

At least you wouldn't have to worry about your house being robbed, with two well-armed neighbors on each side. Let's make the most of this beautiful day... since we're together, we might as well say...

No, but I'd be worried about dodging bullets running from the car to the front door...and god forbid you lock yourself out of the house or do something to annoy either of them. The drunk one would come after you with his sawed off shotgun.

No thanks. I'll take my neighbors sober and sans firearms.