Page 16 - IAV Digital Magazine #501

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Wilton Man Arrested For Displaying Wooden Penis Statue In Front Yard
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By Mark Mulholland
WILTON - Jamie Gagne has lived on Ruggles Road for 10 years.
He recently found himself in a dis- pute with the town of Wilton over plans for his workshop, which the town says aren't up to code. So they have issued a stop
work order.
"I just want to live in peace and fin- ish my work- shop," Gagne said Friday.
Gagne says he's eager to do what's needed, but says the town has been ignor- ing his communi- cation.
However, the wooden statue he
placed in his front yard was hard to ignore. He carved a seven-foot penis out of a pine tree and placed it on his front lawn.
He says people passing by laughed. He put up a sign encour- aging them to take pictures.
So he was a little surprised when
state troopers showed up Thursday
saying they'd got- ten a complaint and told him to take it down.
Gagne complied with state police and moved the statue into his backyard. He's since returned it to the front lawn and placed it behind a sign with the words
"Adults Only" spray painted in red.
That was after he was arrested. The troopers handcuffed him and charged him with a public dis- play of offensive sexual material.
"This is trying to protect the issue of potential exploitation in a sexual manner, particularly as it relates to protect- ing children," said Saratoga County District Attorney Karen Heggen.
Gagne doesn't think the statue applies.
"It's just a giant piece of wood," he said. "You think about going to a park and there's a statue of a little boy peeing or there's a marble statue of a bare-breast-
ed woman."
He said he plans to fight the charge.
"This is a clear First Amendment right. One person is offended ver- sus dozens of people that were complimenting me," he said.
Gagne's attorney, Bill White, said Friday evening that his client intends to come into "complete compliance" with the Town of Wilton, but said he hadn't had an opportunity to review the crimi- nal charge against him.
Wilton Supervisor John Lant told NewsChannel 13 Friday he's happy to have the stat- ue down, and he "didn't think it was a good way to express anger."
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine