After decades in the woods, New Hampshire man forced out of cabin



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CANTERBURY, NH (AP) – For nearly three decades, David Lidstone, 81, lived in the New Hampshire woods along the Merrimack River in a small cabin adorned with solar panels. He grew his own food, chopped his own firewood, and looked after his cat and chickens.

But its off-grid existence appears to be in jeopardy.

“River Dave,” as boaters and kayakers call him, is behind bars after being charged with squatting for 27 years on private property in Canterbury. While the owner of the land seeks to demolish the cabin, Lidstone has been jailed since July 15 for civil contempt.

“You came with your weapons, you arrested me, brought me here, you have all my possessions. You keep them, ”he told a judge at a hearing on Wednesday. “I’m going to sit here in your uniform until I rot, sir.” “

Jodie Gedeon, a kayaking enthusiast who befriended Lidstone around 20 years ago, works with other supporters to help her, including organizing a petition and raising money to cover the property taxes.

“He’s just a really, really, big caring guy, and he just chooses to live off the grid,” she said. “It’s really a matter of humanity, it’s really a matter of compassion, of empathy… he doesn’t hurt anyone.”

Merrimack County Superior Court Judge Andrew Schulman agreed Lidstone wasn’t harming anyone, but said the law was clearly on the landowner’s side.

“You do your own thing in the ‘live free or die’ state, so there’s a lot of sympathy for you,” he said. “But there is a lot of weight on the other side of the balance sheet, and not just on what the (owner) wants to do with the land, but the weight I feel in upholding the court judgment and the rule of law. . “

Gedeon and other supporters attended a meeting of the city’s selection committee on Monday. Board members said the city currently has no position in the land dispute.

But even if there was a way to allow Lidstone to stay, it would be an uphill battle. Her home violates local and state zoning and environmental regulations, and there is no road access.

“You are in a dilemma. So do we, ”said coach Robert Steenson.

The woodland that Lidstone calls home is a few miles from Interstate 93. But it’s hidden by trees; it is on 73 acres that were used for harvesting timber. The property has been owned by the same family since 1963. There are no plans yet to develop it.

Lidstone claimed years ago the owner gave his word – but nothing in writing – to allow him to live there. But in the eyes of the current owner, he’s a squatter and must go.

Landowner Leonard Giles, 86, of South Burlington, Vt., Didn’t even know Lidstone was there until the city administrator found out in 2015 and told him so, expressing concern “in regarding the disposal of solid and septic waste and potential violations of the zoning created by the structure, ”according to Giles’ complaint in 2016.

The judge suggested on Wednesday that Giles and city officials work with a mediator, but Giles’ attorney said the logistics would be too intimidating.

“We have to recognize the fact that this was a managed woodlot, with income supposed to support my elderly client in retirement. At some point, how far is he supposed to go to turn his woodlot into habitable land for someone else who walks in? said lawyer Lisa Snow Wade. “He just wants his land back. “

Lidstone, who does not have a lawyer, insisted his cabin is a hunting and fishing camp, not a house.

“Why do you need a road to get there?” Do you think I’m an idiot? Are you going to install a septic tank for a hunting camp? he said.

He also argued that Giles does not own the property but is under pressure from the city.

“He’s a hell of a old man, I’ve spoken to him a few times. It’s not his fault, it’s not my fault, “he said.” It’s lying, fooling corrupt judges like you who trample on little people like me. But I’m telling you. , sir, you’re stepping on me, I’ll bite your ankle.

Lidstone, a short, tall, bearded man, has resisted efforts to leave since a judge ordered his departure in 2017. Following this, the two sides tried to come to some sort of agreement for him, but without success, according to court documents.

Currently, Lidstone can be released if any of the following three things happen: he agrees to leave, the cabin is demolished by Giles, or 30 days have passed since he was jailed. Another hearing will take place next week.

He had no further contact with law enforcement, unlike the case of a man from Maine called the “North Pond HermitWho also lived in the woods for nearly three decades and pleaded guilty in 2013 to multiple burglary and theft charges.

Over the years, Lidstone, a US Air Force veteran and father of four who made money as a lumberjack, is known to invite kayakers and boaters to his home, sharing stories about his life. in nature.

The two-level wooden cabin was profiled by a local TV show in 2018. There is a small, cluttered kitchen with pots and pans hanging from the ceiling, appliances, and curtains on the windows. Its porch has a footrest with a base made of stacked beer cans. He turned a wood stove into a beehive. He attached lights, a mirror and a pulley for a clothesline to the logs supporting the cabin. There are lots of firewood.

Nearby is a gravel path leading to vegetable gardens bordered by logs and some berry bushes. Lidstone draws its water from a stream.

Lidstone’s decision to live in the woods is “exactly the lifestyle he wants,” said his brother Vincent Lidstone, 77, of Lafayette, Georgia.

“What they do to him is not good for anyone, be it my brother or anyone’s brother,” he said. “He’s 81 years old. Leave him alone.”

Vincent Lidstone said he had lost touch with his brother over the years, but described how the two and a cousin enjoyed spending time outdoors. They grew up in Wilton, Maine.

“We used to live in the woods,” he said. “We camped, fished, hunted. We have done everything together for many years.

It’s unclear where Lidstone would go. Vincent Lidstone said he did not have the resources to help him. The Associated Press contacted two of his three sons, who said they had not been in contact with their father recently. Her daughter did not respond to a message requesting comment.

Gedeon said the issue has yet to be discussed by his group.

“We want him to be able to live his final years where he is,” she said.

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Associated Press editor Holly Ramer contributed to this report.

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