Man accused of tossing used coffee cups in NY couple’s front yard for 3 years

It took almost three years, but an upstate New York couple has finally learned the identity of the man who has been tossing used coffee cups in their front yard nearly every day.

The serial trash-tosser, who was caught in the act this month, is a former colleague and “nemesis” of one of the homeowners, Cheryl Patton, according to a report. The woman, who lives in the town of Hamburg, said she was shocked to learn the man driving by her home almost every night to throw litter on her property is a grown man who had a beef with her.

“I found it very hard to believe that someone I knew would do something like that, especially at his age,” she told The Buffalo News.

The suspect, identified as 76-year-old Larry Pope, was charged with harassment and cited with throwing refuse onto a roadway, a traffic infraction, according to the paper.

The hundreds of dirty coffee cups Pope is accused of throwing at the couple’s property over the years almost always came from McDonald’s and sometimes had a cigarette butt or a napkin inside.

The couple said they did everything they could to catch the mysterious driver, including setting up a security camera in a tree, buying high-powered binoculars and hiding outside during a cold night. But none of those strategies gave them a clear view of the vehicle’s license plate.

Cheryl and Edward Patton initially thought it was somebody’s poor attempt at a prank, but the theory went away when the littering continued after a year, they told The Buffalo News. The couple said they eventually began collecting the debris, filling about 10 garbage bags with 30 to 40 cups in each bag.

The homeowners recently recruited some of their neighbors to help catch the minivan driver and finally got a license plate number, which they shared with Hamburg police. Cops reportedly set up their own surveillance operation and caught Pope after he threw a dirty cup at the Pattons’ home.

Cheryl told the newspaper that the suspect used to work with her at a bus company where she also served as a union officer. The two colleagues disagreed on numerous union-related issues and Pope often insulted and threatened her, she said.

But now, for the first time in years, the couple’s front yard is finally clear of debris.

“It’s a huge relief,” Cheryl said.