I know of a fellow who had a yard full of scrap machinery, the municipality sent notices to clean up the mess which eventually led to a municiple crew coming in to remove the iron. The fellow sued the municiplaity and won his case which took two years tio reach the courts by this time the municiplaity had disposed of the equipment, they had to reimburse the man not only for the missing equipment but also for inconvienace and stress and legal fees.
It's a well known fact any man who represents himslf in court has a fool for a lawyer.
Officialdom does not like to loose, what I saying here is should you neighbor win his case the people who run the county will reach into the hat and pull out another rabbit like bring in the health authoritys who have unlimited powers, then perhaps even the tax authoritys who may rule the man has been operating a business all these years then demand records on purchases and sales of said junk.
Your neighbor is no longer flying under the radar!
This is going to end up a lossing propsition for your neighbor, recently two home owners here in my province who were packrats had health authoritys condem their premisises.
Here is a news story on one of the victoms.
St. Boniface house condemned because of hoarding - Manitoba - CBC News
Your charecter letter is written in good spirit but in my humble opinion not worth the paper its written on and this is why I suggested that you contact a lawyer to write the letter, the lawyer may have injected into the letter refereance to the rule of law in accordance to the grandfather clause along with citing previous cases.
Since the letter is going to be reviewed by a judge, the format and tone of the statement must be professional. Make sure you have the judge's name and title correct. Be honest in your statement. Being dishonest damages your reputation and does not help the defendant.
Introduce yourself by name and profession. Tell the judge who you are writing the letter for. Let the judge know that you are aware of the charges against the defendant. When you know the charges against the defendant it sends the judge a message that you do know what the defendant has done but that you are still willing to write positively about the defendant.
Next, discuss how you met the defendant and how long you have known him or her. Doing so establishes your relationship with the defendant. Provide specific examples of good deeds the defendant has done. If the defendant has done volunteer work in the community, provide names of the organizations and the types of activities he or she participated in.
If the defendant is a good provider for the family or is devoted to his or her family, bring that up and provide examples.
Again, be truthful. Has the defendant given up work or education to take care of a sick relative? Does the defendant refuse to go out drinking with his or her friends or coworkers to spend more time with his or her family?
Conclude by saying how the defendant's incarceration will negatively affect their present, their future, their job, and their life. Be specific. Explain how the defendant's incarceration will affect his or her family and employer. Explain how the defendant has learned from their mistake, what steps they have taken to change, and that you believe they will not make the same mistake again.
Include a telephone number in your conclusion so that the judge may reach you with any questions. Doing so shows that you are serious about helping the defendant and that you mean what you say.
Law Dictionary: Best Way to Write a Good Character Witness Statement
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