If State Sen. Bill Montford has it his way, you can be thrown in jail for picking up pecans.
Unfortunately, we're serious.
Senate Bill 1708, which would make it a second-degree misdemeanor to pick up pecans from the ground or to "cause" pecans to fall from a tree you don't own, was submitted last week.
Yes, folks, we're talking about picking up nuts off the ground.
The bill would clarify that any pecan that falls onto a public right-of-way from a tree grown on private property belongs to the owner of that tree.
Then it's a misdemeanor to pick up the pecans "without the permission of the owner of the pecan tree" or to remove them from someone's tree "or cause pecans to fall from such tree."
Again, if you have permission to pick up nuts that fell in public, you're off the hook.
Nuts on the ground, though, that's a crime.
Even if the bill were to become law, you could run around like a pecan-stealing madman until July 1.
Now, what's more important -- changing "winter break" to "Christmas break" or criminalizing nuts on the ground?
Click here to peruse the pecan legislation.
New Times on Facebook | The Pulp on Facebook | Matthew Hendley on Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Matthew Hendley |
