Teh One Who Knocks
01-10-2014, 12:46 PM
The Journal Star
In the annals of Peoria crime, Doug Haley probably won't become infamous as The Mad Shoveler.
But he does stand accused of an unusual charge: essentially, reckless snow-shoveling. Sunday, a police officer wrote him a citation for violating a city ordinance by throwing snow into the street in front of his house. The pending fine: $100.
"I was pretty upset," Haley says.
The scene of the crime is Far North Peoria. For almost a decade, Haley has lived in the 7300 block of Manning Drive with his wife and four kids.
About nine years ago, he got into a small spat with a neighbor regarding a construction permit. It wasn't a major dust-up, but the two have remained cool to each other ever since.
Saturday, after snow fell, his wife and kids went outside, "shoveling and playing," Haley says. His adversarial neighbor became miffed when one of Haley's boys apparently flung snow far off the Haley property.
"Hey, keep your snow on your side of the street," the neighbor yipped.
The next morning, as the powder piled up, Haley shoveled his driveway. He hurled most of the snow onto either side of the driveway. But, as he cleared the base of the driveway, he "scattered" a little snow into the street, he says.
He didn't think it was a big deal — or illegal — because the city had yet to plow the street, covered with maybe 6 inches of snowfall. Plus, he says, it's not as if he heaped snow into a roadway mountain.
"There was never an obstruction," he says. "It wasn't as if the neighbors couldn't get out of their driveway."
But one of those neighbors — Haley isn't sure who, but he's got a good guess — called police to officially complain about Haley's scofflaw shoveling strategy. The next day, an officer rolled up and knocked on the door to ask Haley is he'd done any illicit shoveling lately.
Perhaps Haley should've clammed up and called an attorney specializing in snow-removal law. Instead, Haley asked a very good question: how could police prove which snow came from his driveway?
The officer replied something vague — like, the Haley driveway obviously had been cleared, and perhaps Haley had gotten a little too energetic with his snow-throwing. At that, Haley admitted that some of the snow in the street got there via his shovel. That was enough for the officer to scribble out an ordinance violation — "pushed snow onto roadway" — and hand it to Haley.
Days later, Haley still can't believe the fine he faces. "One hundred dollars!" he yelps.
The violation pertains to Peoria Municipal Code Sec. 26-25: "No person shall sweep, shovel or pile, or cause to be swept, shoveled or piled, any snow, ice or other waste upon any of the streets, avenues, alleys, sidewalks or other public ways of the city."
In the annals of Peoria crime, Doug Haley probably won't become infamous as The Mad Shoveler.
But he does stand accused of an unusual charge: essentially, reckless snow-shoveling. Sunday, a police officer wrote him a citation for violating a city ordinance by throwing snow into the street in front of his house. The pending fine: $100.
"I was pretty upset," Haley says.
The scene of the crime is Far North Peoria. For almost a decade, Haley has lived in the 7300 block of Manning Drive with his wife and four kids.
About nine years ago, he got into a small spat with a neighbor regarding a construction permit. It wasn't a major dust-up, but the two have remained cool to each other ever since.
Saturday, after snow fell, his wife and kids went outside, "shoveling and playing," Haley says. His adversarial neighbor became miffed when one of Haley's boys apparently flung snow far off the Haley property.
"Hey, keep your snow on your side of the street," the neighbor yipped.
The next morning, as the powder piled up, Haley shoveled his driveway. He hurled most of the snow onto either side of the driveway. But, as he cleared the base of the driveway, he "scattered" a little snow into the street, he says.
He didn't think it was a big deal — or illegal — because the city had yet to plow the street, covered with maybe 6 inches of snowfall. Plus, he says, it's not as if he heaped snow into a roadway mountain.
"There was never an obstruction," he says. "It wasn't as if the neighbors couldn't get out of their driveway."
But one of those neighbors — Haley isn't sure who, but he's got a good guess — called police to officially complain about Haley's scofflaw shoveling strategy. The next day, an officer rolled up and knocked on the door to ask Haley is he'd done any illicit shoveling lately.
Perhaps Haley should've clammed up and called an attorney specializing in snow-removal law. Instead, Haley asked a very good question: how could police prove which snow came from his driveway?
The officer replied something vague — like, the Haley driveway obviously had been cleared, and perhaps Haley had gotten a little too energetic with his snow-throwing. At that, Haley admitted that some of the snow in the street got there via his shovel. That was enough for the officer to scribble out an ordinance violation — "pushed snow onto roadway" — and hand it to Haley.
Days later, Haley still can't believe the fine he faces. "One hundred dollars!" he yelps.
The violation pertains to Peoria Municipal Code Sec. 26-25: "No person shall sweep, shovel or pile, or cause to be swept, shoveled or piled, any snow, ice or other waste upon any of the streets, avenues, alleys, sidewalks or other public ways of the city."