In Wilton, New York, 32-year-old Jamie Gagne erected a 7-foot-tall wooden carving of a penis in his front yard. He says people loved the statue and would stop and laugh and take pictures. He even posted signs encouraging passersby to snap photos. But not everyone was laughing.
New York State Police arrested him a few days after he put it up, made him take it down, and charged him with public display of offensive sexual material. After a series of delays, Gagne was in court this week to deal with the misdemeanor charge.
Outside court, Gagne told local reporters the only resolution to the criminal case that he'll accept is an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal. In the meantime, the statue is now standing in Gagne's backyard, out of view of the public.
The carving went up Gagne says, as a sign of protest because he was and still is, in a dispute with the Town of Wilton over plans for his workshop, which the town says aren't up to code, so they'd issued a stop-work order. The charge carries a maximum sentence of a year in jail or a 1,000 fine.