Losing someone you love is one of the hardest things any one person can go through. It’s even worse when that person is taken young, before they’ve had the chance to live their lives fully and freely.
It’s at its worst when you’re then punished for mourning that person in an honorable way, which is exactly what happened to one Alabama man.
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Winchester Hagans recently faced a terrible tragedy
He lost his fiancée, Hannah Ford, to a car accident the same day the two visited the venue for their upcoming wedding.
The couple met in 2019 and Hagans proposed in December of 2020. In January of 2021, they visited Notasulga, Alabama, where their future venue was. As Ford prepared to drive home, she kissed Hagans goodbye.
That would be the last time he’d ever get to see her
“The last things I heard her say were, ‘I love you, and I hate leaving you,” he said, “She was the most beautiful, loving, sweet and amazing, full of life person I had ever met.”
Ford had just turned 27 when she passed. “She was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. We were so happy.”
As if this wasn’t hard enough for Hagans, he’s now facing a lawsuit for leaving flowers on Ford’s grave
Hagans had built a small flower box with pictures of the two of them around the outside to place at her grave at Auburn’s Memorial Park Cemetery, filling it with flowers. However, he discovered that someone kept throwing the flowers away and destroying the box.
Hagans claimed that both he and his fiancée had a strained relationship with some members of Ford’s family, which lead him to believe it was someone from Ford’s family repeatedly ruining his gift. As detailed in his Instagram post above, he vowed to always replace any destroyed flowers or boxes, especially since no one had directly told him to stop doing so.
Imagine his surprise when he’s pulled over one day and informed about a warrant for his arrest
Though originally flagged down by police for an expired tag, Hagans said that, “The officer came back and said there was a warrant out for my arrests, handcuffed me on the side of the road on a Sunday morning.”
Who signed the warrant? Hannah’s father, Hayden Ford.
He filed an official police complaint for criminal littering
The complaint reads, “Hayden Thomas Ford is the property owner of his daughter Hannah Ford’s cemetery plot located at Memorial Park in Auburn, Alabama. Approximately 7 -8 flower boxes have been placed on Hannah’s gravesite without his permission. Winston Hagans has been advised not to place unauthorized items on Hannah’s grave.” It then references the Instagram post in which Hagans said he’d continue to replace the flowers.
Auburn police elaborated in a statement
“In Alabama, certain burial plots are owned and controlled by the family of the deceased and therefore are private property. Any citizen has a right to pursue a criminal charge upon showing sufficient probable cause exists to believe a crime has been committed.”
Hagans is fighting the charge, with a trial set for March of this year.
Hagans’ attorney, Jeff Tickal, said Hagans will plead not guilty
“We are looking forward to telling his side of the story and reversing this travesty brought against him.”
Hagans still visits Ford’s grave often, and when asked what he would say to her father, responded with, “I just want to be able to put flowers on her grave.”
h/t: news10
