$200 Fine Imposed to Resolve a Sticky Situation
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A Huntington Harbour man agreed Tuesday to pay a $200 fine, plus court fees, for repeatedly slinging chewed bubble gum at a neighbor’s house.
The man, Michael Thomas, and his wife, Nancy, will also serve a year’s informal probation for littering. Through settlement negotiations, the charges were reduced from misdemeanor waste-dumping to an infraction, which is akin to a parking ticket.
Ronald Kotloff, whose house was targeted, has said he has a videotape of the Thomases throwing gum at his house. The Thomases’ attorney, Paul S. Meyer, said the neighborhood dispute represents larger issues within a Huntington Harbour homeowners’ association concerning fees for boat slips.
Kotloff could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening. Michael Thomas refused to discuss the case.
Meyer called the case “much ado about nothing.”
“This is an incredibly tiny case. I’m surprised that the news value of this case has gone beyond the comic pages,” said Meyer, a well-known criminal defense attorney. “I’m certain that the gum-throwing issue has great entertainment value, but as far as real legal issues, this is not it.”
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