Man Facing Jail for Lawn Held on Old Warrant

An Anaheim homeowner facing jail time for his unkempt lawn was arrested for violating the terms of a probation stemming from nuisance code violations on another property, officials said Wednesday.

Raman H. Patel, 57, was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon on a $20,000 bench warrant, Anaheim Deputy City Atty. Mike Burke said.

Patel was convicted in 1993 of illegally converting a Lancaster home into a duplex without securing the necessary building permits, said Ulrick Usher, who works for Lancaster’s building and safety division. Usher said Patel served a short jail sentence but then failed to heed a judge’s order to reconvert the home back to a single-family dwelling.

The judge issued a bench warrant for Patel in 1995. Anaheim officials recently learned of the warrant and informed Los Angeles County officials about Patel’s whereabouts, leading to the arrest, Burke said.

The arrest is the latest in a series of legal troubles Patel has faced.

Patel, who contends that a 1997 stroke left him partially disabled and unable to speak, served 30 days in Orange County Jail two years ago for failing to keep up his Anaheim home.

Local prosecutors argue that Patel has also violated probation on that conviction by allowing his property to fester. They are asking a judge to send Patel back to jail until he cleans up the front of his home.

Patel maintains that vandals have repeatedly thwarted his efforts to fix his lawn and destroyed elaborate sprinkler systems, causing as much as $20,000 worth of damage over the last 20 years.

Upon hearing of Patel’s plight last year, a handful of residents rushed to his aid and helped spruce up the home on Loara Street. But even some of those former helpers said they now have second thoughts.

Rick Cleveland, who helped organize the effort, said he spent nearly 40 hours and $75 helping to repair and repaint Patel’s garage door. Cleveland said that ever since he watched Patel ride a bicycle he has come to question the extent of Patel’s disability claims.

“We all feel kind of stupid,” Cleveland said.

In earlier interviews, however, Patel maintained his disabilities are real. He showed a reporter a copy of a 1997 medical examination that addressed a “disturbed gait” and his inability to speak.

Patel could not be reached for comment Wednesday.