Neighbor Donald said that in the months following the allegations, his relationship with Nichols deteriorated. It claims to be the owner Nimbus There is also a ten-meter-high flagpole that flies the American flag and, at times, a phrase that reads, “Let’s Go Brandon,” a well-known expression against President Biden. When he leaves the house to mow the lawn or take his grandson to the bus stop, Nicholas curses at him, and he says he’s scared of him. And, he reveals, every encounter between the two ends with Nicholas makes fun of .
Even so, the former naval commander says that he is a law-abiding man and has no regrets about the emu animal control. “I’ve always lived by the rules. If you don’t like the rules, they change. But until then, live by them.”
Nicholas denies inciting Donald, but confirms that the relationship between the two was affected. “The only good neighbor is a fence,” he points out.
In March, Virginia Beach District Court Judge Daniel Lahne found Nicholas guilty of possessing livestock in a residential area, the court clerk’s office explains. The court ruled that the animal’s owner must pay a fine equivalent to 46 euros.
However, for Nicholas, Nimbus It is not cattle. And Code City officials accused him of violating the companion animal exemption. He asked the municipality to authorize him to keep the emu, a request he says authorities denied in May.
“The emu is not a domesticated animal, it is domesticated for pleasure,” Hannah Sabo, Virginia Beach’s city planning administrator, wrote in a letter to Nichols. The Washington Post had access. “It is considered a farm animal, not a common domestic animal. [Nicholas] does not demonstrate a medical need related to a disability for this particular animal or this particular type of animal,” it says.
The man appealed the decision to the city court. When the prosecutor asked for the case to be adjourned, the prosecutors asked Nicholas to take over Nimbus Out-of-town litigation was processed through the court system. In early June, the owner took the bird to a farm in Cedar Farm, Tennessee, where Joe Walters – a friend of his who owns an emu – visited. Joe agreed to take care Nimbus A legal battle ensued.
In July, at a court hearing, Nicholas pleaded not guilty and hoped to get his companion and emotional support animal back. Deciding the fate of the emu is up to Kevin Duffin.
“What should a trial court do with evidence that an animal clearly defined as livestock is also defined as a companion animal?” He wrote.
The judge said there were no legal standards in Virginia on the issue, so he consulted other sections of the city code and a 2011 appellate case in North Carolina in which a couple was allowed to raise two Nigerian dwarf goats. Kevin Daffon wrote that Nichols was not performing consistently Nimbus This excluded the emu from entering the livestock category for commercial purposes rather than for personal reasons.
“While it is highly unusual for a person to keep an emu as a pet or companion, when they live in the suburbs of the city, the defendant has demonstrated that it is not impossible,” he argued. Nichols pleads not guilty and closes the case.
Neighbor Donald said he’s glad the legal system made a decision and he always wanted things to be made right. He too was glad to put the matter behind him.
“I’m not happy that the value of my house is going down now that there’s a small farm across the street, but I have no problem with him going to court and getting permission. That’s not his problem. ;he was approved. This is my problem. This was the answer he wanted. It’s not the answer I wanted, but that’s how our legal system works,” he declared.
According to Nichols, when the attorney called him with the news, tears streamed down his face. “It’s a case of David and Goliath, and David wins again,” he adds.
But even with the legal victory in hand, he faced a harsh reality: The judge’s decision would not come. Nimbus Back to Virginia Beach. Since June, Nicholas has seen the animal through a passage Webcam observed that Nimbus If you are in love Oreo , Joe’s Emu. As time went by, the camera couldn’t see an emu without another running after it. I couldn’t walk away Nimbus His new friend is because he misses her.
“She’s in a great place. She’s on my best friend Joe’s farm. If I want to see my best friend, I can see my best human friend at the same time.”
Although he may face legal hurdles, Nicholas is considering buying another emu later this year. City spokesman Brian Clark said Virginia Beach officials do not yet consider emus to be emotional support pets and “the locality will continue to follow the definitions of domesticated animals outlined in the Virginia Code.”
Nichols said he could face more charges Nimbus In January, he bought six chickens, a turkey and three ducks. On August 1, July 28, a day after the judge’s ruling, a municipal employee wrote that he had seen a turkey and two chickens on his property. The letter said residents on the property could not keep the birds and had 30 days to remove them. However, Nicholas doesn’t plan to do so.
Meanwhile, she is running against Kelly Convirs-Fowler (Democrat) and Republican challenger Mike Garslake in the House of Representatives. If you win the election, your top priority will be to clarify laws regarding emotional support animals Nimbus .
“He saved me. All I needed was a bird. And there were no side effects, except that the city was mad at me,” he concludes.
