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
Najeh Davenpoop
February 23rd, 2011
1:15 pm
10 years for killing a tree is even more ridiculous than two years for dogfighting.
Grim Reaper
February 23rd, 2011
1:15 pm
If Alabama “used to be” a part of the state of Georgia, then it must’ve been the part Georgia flushed without wiping!!!!!!
puppydawg
February 23rd, 2011
1:15 pm
A fitting punishment would be financial restitution to the ‘Barn and about a thousand hours of community service doing landscaping and/or janitorial duties on the ‘Barn’s campus.
c
February 23rd, 2011
1:15 pm
if you’re dumb enough to admit that on a radio show, you deserve every last bit of this. No sympathy from me
Rob
February 23rd, 2011
1:15 pm
Eff him.
Chi Town
February 23rd, 2011
1:16 pm
AAA Gator ….
There is nothing else to do in Auburn but roll trees. That or maybe go hang out at the local Applebees in the metropolis of Opelika.
c
February 23rd, 2011
1:16 pm
Enter your comments here
kerryb
February 23rd, 2011
1:16 pm
I wonder how many Auburn fans he will run into in prison? Maybe before long he and Bobby Lowder can share a cell.
Ted Striker
February 23rd, 2011
1:17 pm
I have zero sympathy for Updyke. None.
However anyone who would do him or his property harm now is every bit as bad as him.
Put me on record as saying I think he deserves his day in court.
egeagle
February 23rd, 2011
1:18 pm
AU fans like that Preston dude make me wish they’d take those trees and chop them into toothpicks to give all AU fans to commemorate their title. Slashed tires already? Those toothpicks would mirror their title– tainted. And I’m willing to bet that had the hedges in Athens been poisoned, UGA folks would be admonished for taking such a thing so seriously.Any shot UGA takes is OK, but any response is an overreaction. It really is that obvious.
Just Sayin'
February 23rd, 2011
1:18 pm
So UPDyke is UP the creek? Perfect!
RambleOn84
February 23rd, 2011
1:19 pm
Look, the guy is an idiot. No argument there.
But people need to calm down. In the end, only a couple of trees were harmed. No, it will not physically hurt one Auburn fan or alum.
People are treating him as if he is a pedophile or something like that.
Schultzie, can’t we bring some reason into this?
Producer
February 23rd, 2011
1:19 pm
What an inbred fool!! Let’s hope he gets locked up by the cops before some good ole boy takes matters into his own hands. What an absolute idiot!
Cry me a river, Bama
February 23rd, 2011
1:20 pm
Not an Auburn or an Alabama fan here, but all of you Alabama fans have to live with the fact that even though your hilbilly redneck killed some trees, it doesn’t change the fact that Bama lost to Auburn in the Iron Bowl and Auburn is the reigning national champion. Oh, and before you cry about Cam Newton, do the names Antonio Langham, Albert Means, aqnd Kenny Smith mean anything to you??
middleoftheroadandtiredofit
February 23rd, 2011
1:20 pm
People make mistakes, etc. Blah blah blah. This was not a spur of the moment act on the day AU beat Alabama. This was a planned crime that is going to cost a lot of money to fix. Heck, the guy isn’t even from Alabama, didn’t go to any college in the state (did he even attend an institution of higher learning in the SEC?) and had not been goaded into it. No tigers went to Tuscaloosa any of the years the Crimson Tide won the national championship and destroyed one of their beloved symbols. It wasn’t a stealing of the mascot for the big game or draping a statue with confetti. And no, this guy didn’t kill anyone but if he isn’t punished for this maybe next time he will go after one of the players. Is that excusable or defensible too?
WinderDawg
February 23rd, 2011
1:20 pm
Treehuggers….
Deliverance
February 23rd, 2011
1:21 pm
I hear banjo music. It’s coming from the creek.
Justin Beaver
February 23rd, 2011
1:21 pm
Don’t most people in Alabama live in something with wheels?
dawg777
February 23rd, 2011
1:21 pm
AUBURN FANS ARE WANTING TO KILL HARVEY UPDYKE OVER THOSE TREES. CLASSLESS AUBURN FANS. THAT WHY HE HIDING.
RambleOn84
February 23rd, 2011
1:22 pm
The guy clearly has severe mental issues anyway…he thought he would become a god by posioning those trees…he deserves to be found guilty of destruction of property, but that’s it.
I hear people who I thought were reasonable say with a straight face that he should be given life in prison.
Give me a break, and let the guy move to North Dakota with Steve Bartman, Brooks Conrad, and all of the others who have made a mistake and had to endure the ridiculous rantings of “sports fans.”
All those who are making this out to be more than it really is need to get a life.
Patrick Romano WAR DAMN EAGLE
February 23rd, 2011
1:22 pm
Hey Tre,
It’s Not just over a tree, ‘peabrain’ it’s about a 130 yr. old tradition in college football’s Deep South” surrounded by 130 Yr. old oak trees. Get a clue, stick with your hookers on North Ave.
War Damn Eagle
kimmer
February 23rd, 2011
1:22 pm
So…..A guy who kills a couple of trees is an over the top zealot and the people who seek to take the law into their own hands, commit crimes against him or even kill him are just doing what comes naturally????
James
February 23rd, 2011
1:22 pm
You people do know we are talking about Auburn here. Who cares about them or the trees. I say good for this guy. When you cheat to win and treat other fans like crap stuff like this happens. Auburn got what they deserve and now this guy has to pay for it. Be honest a lot of us wish we could have thought of this first.
RambleOn84
February 23rd, 2011
1:23 pm
The guy clearly has severe mental issues anyway…he thought he would become a god by posioning those trees…he deserves to be found guilty of destruction of property, but that’s it.
Buckhead Dawg
February 23rd, 2011
1:23 pm
If – IF – the trees die they will look exactly the same as they do now for the next 20 years. Auburn fans can still do their stupid rolling of them well into the future.
…but Updyke is an idiot nonetheless…
RambleOn84
February 23rd, 2011
1:23 pm
I hear people who I thought were reasonable say with a straight face that he should be given life in prison.
RambleOn84
February 23rd, 2011
1:24 pm
All those who are making this out to be more than it really is need to get a life.
Buckeye
February 23rd, 2011
1:24 pm
Hey Schultz,
Some things are better off not said. Or, in this case, written.
Richt, for one, forgives him.
Just Wondering
February 23rd, 2011
1:24 pm
Could this “Harvey” be a reincarnation of another infamous “Lee Harvey”?
Tomahawk Holmes
February 23rd, 2011
1:25 pm
Why do all the trees in Alabama lean towards the middle of the state?
Because of this Updyke guy and Alabama sucks of course.
Pratt
February 23rd, 2011
1:25 pm
roll damn chevy
Chi Town
February 23rd, 2011
1:26 pm
Agree with the poster earlier. Have a feeling this dude is gonna off himself somewhere in the woods.
GTBob
February 23rd, 2011
1:26 pm
The guy intentionally did something that he knew would really anger thousands of people. It’s hard to feel sorry for him being scared of retaliation. Maybe he should have thought about that before he did it. If he had any brains he would have been long gone from Alabama by now.
Azazel
February 23rd, 2011
1:26 pm
Tom and Katherine seem to think taking the high road is the answer. Good for them. But for my money, him blowing his brains out in a van by the river (after living on a steady diet of government cheese) accomplishes a couple of things: Someone gets paid to clean it up (work is work) and the gene pool is a little cleaner (in this case, most like by major degrees). Yeah. I’m a heartless b###tard. But you know, what? I sleep fine at night.
Chuck
February 23rd, 2011
1:27 pm
I would say he needs to get out of Dodge, but apparently he’s living in one.
Love
February 23rd, 2011
1:27 pm
Al, He is looking Krazy now, I thought he didn’t care!
Andy in Blairsville
February 23rd, 2011
1:27 pm
When you have two rabid neanderthal fan bases in a state where only 3 things occur (Talladega, AL Football and AU Football), what do you expect to happen?
Falcon Josh
February 23rd, 2011
1:28 pm
he should have to wash Auburn jock straps for next ten years.
Chi Town
February 23rd, 2011
1:29 pm
Why does Tomahawk Holmes lean towards the middle of the state?
Because he is a douche bag of course.
Druid City
February 23rd, 2011
1:29 pm
UGA has thousands of Harvey Updykes out there that show up every game, damaging far more of your campus than just one tree.
UGA fans, you also destroyed your own hedges a few years ago and set that very same tree on fire in November.
So stuff it with your self righteous indignation.
Chris
February 23rd, 2011
1:29 pm
Safer in prison? There are Auburn fans in prison, too.
Big Dawg Cobb
February 23rd, 2011
1:29 pm
I’m sure there are a lot of Auburn fans in prison too. His future none too bright….
Justin Beaver
February 23rd, 2011
1:30 pm
What’s the big deal about living in a car, don’t most people in Alabama live in something with wheels?
joe
February 23rd, 2011
1:30 pm
Well that just matches where most tide fans live anyway…they call ‘em mobile homes. Who needs running water when you have a nearby creek?
GaBlue WDE!
February 23rd, 2011
1:31 pm
Hello??? Eco-terrorism, anyone? He put enough poison underneath those two trees to kill and entire forest. Poison spreads into the ground. Where do you think drinking water comes from? For you eco-hating money-lovers out there, go price new trees, shrubs, and sod (and labor to replace everything) for a large commercial enterprise, and then maybe you’ll respect that damage was done. Those of us who understand what the attack was really about do not expect the rest of you to understand; we feel sorry for you that you have no rooted traditions to cherish.
Freddie's Falcon
February 23rd, 2011
1:32 pm
What? Is Au cheating again?
Buckeye
February 23rd, 2011
1:32 pm
Chuck,
Best comment so far! Funny.
Justin,
Close, but no ciggie…
Worm,
Updyke, the new Roundup.
Tosh.No
February 23rd, 2011
1:32 pm
Has it even been proven that this is the guy that did it?
And I agree with this.
“A 130 year old tree surrounded by concrete with morons throwing stuff at it is bound to die anyway. Buy a new tree like you bought a temporary championship…”
If this guy or anyone in his family get hurt over this, then there are some actual nut jobs that need to be in jail. And lets not forget that Auburn fans are some of the worst trailer trash there are, so what goes around comes around. Seem to recall some stuff about Auburn “fans” urinating on Bear Bryants grave, and defacing the statue of him. So maybe try to act a little classier AU fans and maybe people won’t want to kill your trees or burn your trailer parks down. Just sayin’
CMR
February 23rd, 2011
1:32 pm
I’m going to take him on a missionary trip. That will help him to heal.
joe
February 23rd, 2011
1:33 pm
@ Chuck…that was super funny!