A Unitarian*Universalist Is Sentenced To One Year Of Probation And 300 Hours Of Trash Removal On Public Lands For The Crime Of "Knowingly Littering"

According to a 'Unitarian Universalists In The Media' report by Sonja L. Cohen posted to the UU World website titled -

UU aid worker gets one-year probation for 'knowingly littering'


Walt Staton, a 27-year-old UU who was convicted of “knowingly littering” for leaving water jugs in the southern Arizona desert, was sentenced to serve one year of unsupervised probation and complete 300 hours of trash removal on public lands. Staton is part of No More Deaths, a humanitarian aid group that gives aid to migrants walking across the desert.

The original Arizona Daily Star story by Brian J. Pedersen titled -

Tucson man sentenced in border water jugs case

reports that - Walt Staton, 27, was convicted June 3 in U.S. District Court of knowingly littering on a national wildlife refuge following a two-day jury trial. He was cited last December when U.S. Border Patrol agents spotted him placing unopened gallon containers of water in the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge southwest of Tucson. He must also also complete 300 hours of trash removal on public lands and is banned from the refuge during his yearlong probation.

So it would seem that Walt has had the equivalent of a yearlong restraining order preventing him from entering the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge imposed against him as well. That seems to be fairly harsh punishment for what would appear to be a humanitarian act on Walt's part. I am sure that plenty of other U*Us could be much more justifiably charged with, if not convicted of. . . the federal crime of "knowingly littering" for rather less noble causes. In fact I have some rather incriminating U*UTube video of a certain Totalitarian Unitarian known as U*U COP "knowingly littering" de Maisonneuve boulevard with my picket signs a while back. . .

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