The Bodda Getta

According to Finebaum yesterday, the caller is from Dadeville, so arresting someone who lives in Lake Martin would make since....it's only 6 miles away. I really hope they got the guy, and that he gets what's coming to him. Similar acts of poisoning in the states of Texas and Florida have gotten the convicted anywhere from 5-9 years in prison!

Don't count on a big prison term for this guy -- it all depends on the details of what he did. If he had a license to use the poison, for instance, the penalty for misusing it will not be as severe as it would be if he used it without a license. He may very well do no jail time at all. He'll probably lose his doublewide, though.

"it all depends on the details of what he did " It doesn't matter one bit if he has a license. He destroyed state property and I am not sure on this one but are those trees not a National Landmark?? Even Homeland Security is involved with this. He will do some jail time and I hope he gets another Bammer as his cell mate to give him the proper welcome.

WDE

Thamel and Evans will probably split the tab for his defense....

Arrest made in AU tree poisoning case
By William White | Opelika-Auburn News
Published: February 17, 2011

Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said an arrest has been made in the poisoning of the two live oaks at Toomer's Corner.

Jones said a 62-year-old unemployed man, who lists his address as Silver Hill Road, Dadeville, was booked into the Lee County Detention Center at approximately 2:30 a.m. Thursday.

The sheriff said Harvey Almorn Updyke Jr. was arrested and charged with one count of criminal mischief in the first degree, which is a Class C felony.

Bond has been set at $50,000 and, upon conviction, a Class C felony carries a punishment of one to 10 years.

First of all, the guy called in to Finebaum to brag about it. I am sure they have that recording. Obviously they were able to trace that call back to him as well. This guy is screwed six ways from Sunday. He is going to be tried on all of the state criminal charges in Lee County unless he is somehow able to convince the judge that a fair trial is an impossibility, and that is an exceptionally high bar to get over. He will not get a plea deal, because the DA would be committing political suicide by letting him off easy. He isn't going to get a Bama friendly jury anymore than he will get an Auburn friendly jury, because admitted fans of either school will be struck for cause in voir dire. This will be an insanely high profile case, and in the end of it, the judge is going to throw the book at him because what he did was senseless, classless, and completely unjustifiable. He has no defense, and any expression of remorse he makes in an attempt to mitigate the damage he did to his case by calling the Finebaum show to brag is going to fall on deaf ears. This dip$hit might as well lube up and grab his ankles.