Harvey Updyke (Auburn tree poisoner) now living in his car
Just guessing that this is how Harvey Updyke looks when he wakes up in the morning in his car. (AP photo)
I’m assuming this will not elicit a lot of sympathy, but the yahoo who allegedly poisoned the Auburn oak trees apparently so concerned for his safety that he’s living in his car. Also, he’s now being defended by an attorney who represented the former Birmingham mayor, who’s now in prison for bribery, fraud and money-laundering.
Is this a movie of the week or what?
According to a friend of Harvey Updyke, who phoned a Birmingham sports talk show that he poisoned the iconic oak trees at Toomers Corner in Auburn, public enemy No. 1 has gone into seclusion and is living in a car by a creek somewhere in Alabama.
So I guess it follows that if Updyke phones another sportstalk show, his handle of “Al from Dadeville” becomes “Al from Chevy.”
Wayne Barnes, a friend of Updyke’s, told the Birmingham News: “He left [his home] and went to buy a new cell phone, and while he was at the Wal-Mart somebody cut two of his tires.”
Hah! Roll Tide.
It’s not all bad news for Updkye. After three court-appointed attorneys in succession managed to talk their way off the case, somebody finally has stepped forward and taken the case: Glennon Threatt Jr. Representing hated and morally reprehensible individuals is nothing new for Threatt. He defended former Birmingham mayor Larry Langford, who last year began serving a 15-year sentence in federal prison following his public corruption trial.
Threatt said of Updyke in an interview with the Paul Finebaum radio show: “He has very limited resources He is exactly the kind of person the law requires to get adequate representation. Now he’s facing a hostile crowd that rather than have a jury, he’ll probably have a crowd of pitchforks and torches out there waiting for him.”
No sympathy here.
By Jeff Schultz
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500 comments Add your comment
billybobthornton
February 23rd, 2011
12:39 pm
Serves him right! Maybe he will drink some creek water and poison himself!
KW
February 23rd, 2011
12:41 pm
Jeff,
It is my understanding that he was charged with Criminal Mischief (Felony). The court should decide his guilt and punishment not fellow citizens trying to get some sort of revenge. When you end your column with ‘No Sympathy Here’, it sounds like to me that you condone the pitchforks and torches approach to punishing the man. Let’s just get rid of the rule of law in a civilized society and let everyone punish the law breakers as they see fit? Is that what you are saying? He should be punished as the law requires not as his fellow citizens see fit.
Katherine
February 23rd, 2011
12:41 pm
billybobthornton
February 23rd, 2011
12:39 pm
Serves him right! Maybe he will drink some creek water and poison himself!
Right……because taking a life totally equals killing a tree………idiot.
Bama Fan
February 23rd, 2011
12:43 pm
Living is his car? He is one of us indeed.
porta pottie
February 23rd, 2011
12:44 pm
I’m pretty sure this guy has camped by a creek way before all this happened. Does ‘limited resources’ mean he’s low on toilet paper or lacks common sense? He is truly the epitome of some the ignorant rednecks that gives SEC football fans a bad name…
AU due process
February 23rd, 2011
12:44 pm
I am a proud Auburn Tiger Alum. What he did is horrible, but he still deserves to receive his constitutional rights for due process.
Bubba
February 23rd, 2011
12:45 pm
enough about the trees. move on and get a life
James Brown
February 23rd, 2011
12:45 pm
It’s a shame you people think this guy should go to jail for 10 years for damaging a tree yet these athletes who rob, rape, murder, kill animals and so on and so on never see jail. I am not even sure a child molester gets 10 years these days. Whats wrong with our society? How bout we go after real criminals?
Dan
February 23rd, 2011
12:45 pm
Piss on Auburn and thier stupid tree!
WAREAGLE1
February 23rd, 2011
12:46 pm
Round the Bowl….Down the Hole….Roll Tide Roll!
WinderDawg
February 23rd, 2011
12:46 pm
Boy it is cold out….need to start a fire with some toomer wood…
Worm
February 23rd, 2011
12:47 pm
I propose a new cocktail to be called the “Harvey Updyke”..I’m sure mixologists will toast the Auburn fans when they visit.
MjorityOfOne
February 23rd, 2011
12:49 pm
Maybe he really went to Wal Mart to star in one of those “people of Wal Mart” videos. He looks like a good fit
Donna P.
February 23rd, 2011
12:50 pm
It’s just football people! Why would this man go to this extreme? Crazy! He will go to prison for this and may get hurt in there. Just plain stupid.
Gator
February 23rd, 2011
12:50 pm
Updike is probably a Bama teacher!
Larry
February 23rd, 2011
12:51 pm
“I hope the judge sentences him to the maximum penalty of 10 years…then he will have a place to sleep for a long time!”
I have no sympathy for him either, but he poisoned two trees so let’s be sure and let the punishment fit the crime, ok?
Mike Vick served less that two years for torturing, beating, drowning and electrocuting live animals!
Come on!
DawginLex
February 23rd, 2011
12:53 pm
This idiot deserves whatever comes his way. Maybe he will freeze to death in his car.
Atl-Atl
February 23rd, 2011
12:53 pm
The President should step in on this one. This is the perfect opportunity for the lessor known “moonshine summit”.
Old Gold
February 23rd, 2011
12:55 pm
Updike is on the coaching staff of the Tide!
Tomahawk Holmes
February 23rd, 2011
12:57 pm
what a tragedy!
NOT.
Southern by the grace of God
February 23rd, 2011
12:59 pm
Maybe if Updike had been smoking trees instead of killing them he wouldn’t be in this situation right now….
CLEMSONDUDE
February 23rd, 2011
1:00 pm
This Auburn Tree issue is white trash to the core. This shows the lack of quality education in the state of Alabama.
Ohoh
February 23rd, 2011
1:01 pm
Over / under on “Al” is about 5 days.
Our Roots Run Deep
February 23rd, 2011
1:01 pm
Some of you are saying “he just killed a tree” — so what?
That’s not it at all.
He struck a blow to an institution, its traditions and all those who love Auburn.
He did it out of hate and malice and represents the bad element of every rivalry.
This kind of hateful fan takes the fun out of it and should be prosecuted to the fullest, if nothing else but to show that this kind of behavior should not be tolerated. Give him a slap on the wrist and you’ll see more of these kinds of childish acts.
As someone who grew up in the state of Alabama and whose son will be a 4th generation Auburn alumnus, I have no ingrained hate for the University of Alabama. I have a healthy respect for the other side and enjoy the rivalry. Jerks like Harvey Updyke (who probably wouldn’t even be able to find Tuscaloosa on a map) should be condemned by Tigers and Tiders alike.
War Eagle
‘79
GaBlue WDE!
February 23rd, 2011
1:02 pm
While most of the Auburn family is trying to take the high road here, remember who we are, and not allow the actions of one seriously-disturbed individual taint something we believe in, Mr. Updyke is likely to come up against a few members of the consitutency who are less inclined toward high-road travel, and more like himself in the “Do you think I care?” [about the law] way of thinking. Bless his heart.
Worm
February 23rd, 2011
1:03 pm
I predict a new drink in the SEC-The harvey Updyke..
Baddabing
February 23rd, 2011
1:04 pm
Look at the bright side, you won’t have all those pesky little leaves to get in the way of the toilet paper any more. Can’t we all just get along! “Rodney whatever his name was”
dbalcer
February 23rd, 2011
1:05 pm
What distresses me about this story is that most people tend to have attitudes toward him that are as uncivilized as what he did. We need to not stoop to his level in our attitudes we need to really think about justice and not vengeance.
takim
February 23rd, 2011
1:05 pm
so who really cares about AUBURN
Tom
February 23rd, 2011
1:05 pm
While I agree that what he did was a dumb a** move, he’s now under so much stress, don’t be surprised if he goes and offs himself somewhere in the woods. That is what depressed and feeling all alone does to a person sometimes. He probably should have probation and community service of some sort. Maybe Community service on the Auburn campus might be appropriate, unless that might be too dangerous! Remember he’s not a serial killer, just some old-guy who screwed up regarding his football fanticism. I’m about the same age and love my Ga dogs but also respect GT and their campus. Actually I like GT’s campus since it is close to the Varsity!! Love them chili steaks and dogs!!
Smarty
February 23rd, 2011
1:06 pm
Nothing is worse than WHITE TRASH! Sorry but the best thing of Alabama is still I-20!!
59bulldawg
February 23rd, 2011
1:06 pm
I’m with you on this War Eagle!
Artie
February 23rd, 2011
1:07 pm
Hope he offs himself and, at least, saves the taxpayers some $$$.
Grim Reaper
February 23rd, 2011
1:08 pm
I dont’ understand the fuss, the Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerece has been trying to get the University of Florida to throw a game or two against Georgia so the Dawg fans will spend the night, whoop it up and spend some money aftrwards, even going as far as sending in the backup FG kicker this year. The JACC claim the Gators winning 18 of last 21 has killed the rivalry and tradition more than poison to some trees they’ll end up making toilet paper out of anyway now that they’re dying, sad indeed, but no sympathy here either…
saban
February 23rd, 2011
1:09 pm
Word has it he is a Georgia fan.
Cobb Dawg
February 23rd, 2011
1:09 pm
I’m sure it’s been said but he’s just trading one residence with wheels for another.
01HAWK
February 23rd, 2011
1:10 pm
Now he knows how African Americans felt for hundreds of years.
Double Zero Eight
February 23rd, 2011
1:10 pm
How could a former state trooper be so dumb????!!!!!!!
Tom
February 23rd, 2011
1:10 pm
He’s a bama fan, he was probably alreadr living in a car.
fiveo
February 23rd, 2011
1:10 pm
This is just another Bammer being a Bammer. They truly are different than most people out there.
59bulldawg
February 23rd, 2011
1:10 pm
All you folks dissing the state of Alabama . . . you do know it was at one time part of Georgia. If you don’t like the state . . . so be it . . . but running the state down is sorta stupid.
Chi Town
February 23rd, 2011
1:11 pm
This douche bag has never seen the inside of a classroom at The Univeristy of Alabama. He grew up in FL and worked in Texas majority of his life. Not sure how he even became an Alabama fan. You can not associate him with the University or its fan base.
Oh, yeah. Alomost forgot to mention…..Crumpy frisky.
AAA Gator
February 23rd, 2011
1:11 pm
You know I haven’t rolled a tree since 10th grade. Those Auburn people are sure cute with their high school ways.
kerryb
February 23rd, 2011
1:11 pm
Living in a Chevy down by the river. He has limited resource but he apparently had enough to buy chemicals to kill trees with.
saban
February 23rd, 2011
1:11 pm
Also he attends Richts prayer sessions and eat doughnuts with Choakdawg.
Grim Reaper
February 23rd, 2011
1:12 pm
Don’t worry bout the tree poisoner, his chances of a fair trial or any life after are now officially over. The tax dollars that will be spent on the trial will be nothing compared to the new idenity, witness protection program, and relocation for him. My guess is he’ll end up in Anchorage and a U of A, Alaska Grizzly fan, growl grizzlies, just saying…
kerryb
February 23rd, 2011
1:13 pm
Saban, you can’t hide from the fact he is a typical Alabama fan. Don’t try to make him a Georgia fan. Doesn’t work.
Justin Beaver
February 23rd, 2011
1:13 pm
Don’t most people in Alabama live in something with wheels?
AU Grad '87
February 23rd, 2011
1:14 pm
What folks outside of Alabama don’t seem to get is that Updike didn’t just attack a couple of trees, he attacked a symbol very dear to a lot of people’s hearts. But Updike knew what he was doing. He just greatly underestimated the populace’s reaction (Auburn and UAT supporters alike). One has to grow up in Alabama to understand that. Ooops, I guess he didn’t, did he? Bless his heart…
Southern by the grace of God
February 23rd, 2011
1:14 pm
Donna P.
February 23rd, 2011
12:50 pm
“It’s just football people! Why would this man go to this extreme? Crazy! He will go to prison for this and may get hurt in there. Just plain stupid.”
Oh, I’m very much certain that Updike is sure to run into some very unhappy Auburn fans when he goes to prison in the great state of Alabama…if he makes it to prison in one piece. People serving time pay more attention to college football than people on the outside because football is the highlight of their week. Make no mistake there’s alot of Bama fans on the inside too, but all the Bama fans in the world probably won’t be able to protect him on this one. I kinda feel sorry for the guy because it’s pretty clear that he’s got some mental issues which clearly contributed to him not thinking this one all the way through, to say the least.