He lived for 27 years in an abandoned cabin, they kicked him out, put him in jail and his house was set on fire

For nearly three decades, David Lidstone, 81, lived in the New Hampshire woods along the Merrimack River in a small hut adorned with solar panels. She grew her own food, chopped her own firewood, and looked after her pets and chickens.

But its off-grid existence has been challenged in court by a landlord who says he has illegally occupied the place for 27 years.

And to make matters worse for Lidstone, his cabin was set on fire Wednesday afternoon in a fire which is the subject of an investigation by the local authorities.

Lidstone, o “Dave River”, as boaters and kayakers know, he was imprisoned on July 15th for contempt. They told him they would release him if he agreed to leave the cabin, but he stayed.

“You came with your guns, you arrested me, you brought me here, you have all my possessions. Keep them,” Lidstone told a judge during a court appearance on Wednesday morning. “I will stay here until I rot, sir.”

A life in this cabin

Lidstone is accused of having been illegally for 27 years in the Canterbury shack. The two-level A-frame log cabin had a small, cluttered kitchen with pots and pans hanging from the ceiling, a few appliances, and curtains on windows.

Its porch had a stool with a base made of stacked beer cans. He transformed a wood stove into a hive. He attached lights, a mirror, and a pulley for a clothesline to the logs that support the cabin. There were piles of firewood.

Nearby was a gravel path that led to plots of huertas delimited by trunks and some berry bushes. Lidstone drew water from a stream.

In court, Merrimack County Superior Court Judge Andrew Schulman agreed that Lidstone I wasn’t hurting anyone, but said the law is clearly on the owner’s side.

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

Jodie Gedeon, an avid kayaker who befriended Lidstone around 20 years ago, had worked with other supporters to help him, including organizing a petition campaign and the collecting money to cover property taxes.

“I am devastated,” she said when she heard about the fire. “It’s a guy very very very affectionate, and choose to live off the grid, “he said in an interview last week.” Really it’s about humanityIt’s really about compassion, empathy … it doesn’t hurt anyone. “

Gdeon 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. Your home has violated environmental regulations and state and local zoning, and there was no access to a highway.

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

The forest is your home

The forest that Lidstone inhabited was only a few miles from Interstate 93. But it was hidden by trees; It is on 73 acres that were used for logging. The place has belonged to the same family since 1963. There are currently no plans to develop it.

The landowner was looking for demolish the cabin before the fire.

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, You are a squatter and you have to go.

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

Lidstone, a bearded man with a sharp short build, has resisted efforts to leave since a judge ordered he will be expelled in 2017. After that, the two sides tried to come to some sort of agreement for him, but to no avail. according to court documents.

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

The vast majority of Lidstone’s personal items had been removed from the cabin before the fire, Giles’ lawyer Lisa Snow Wade said Wednesday evening. Several toilets remained and no animals were found, running or dead, Canterbury Fire Chief Michael Gamache said.

Lidstone, that he doesn’t have a lawyer, insisted that his cabin is a hunting and fishing camp, not a house. He also argued that Giles does not own the property, but is under pressure from the city.

“He’s a very nice old man, I’ve spoken to him several times. It’s not his fault, it’s not my fault,” he said at the hearing. “It is lying, deceiving corrupt judges like you who trample little people like me. But I tell you, sir, if you step on me, I’m going to bite his ankle“.

Before the fire, Lidstone could be released if any of the following three things happened: he agreed to leave, he demolished the cabin, or 30 days had passed since his incarceration. Another hearing was scheduled for next week, but Lidstone’s status was not immediately clear.

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

Lidstone’s decision to live in the forest is “exactly the lifestyle you want”said his brother Vincent Lidstone, 77, of Lafayette, Georgia.

“What they do to him is not good for anyone, whether it is my brother or someone else’s brother,” he said. “He’s 81. 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 were living in the forest,” he said. “We camped, fished, hunted. We did it all 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 He contacted two of his three children, who said they had not contacted their father recently. Her daughter did not respond to a message seeking comment.

Before the fire, Gdeon said his group had yet to discuss the matter.

“We want him to be able to live the remaining years where he is,” he said.

AP Agency.

GML