This undated photo provided by Jodie Gedeon shows David Lidstone, 81, who for nearly three decades lived in the woods of Canterbury, N.H., along the Merrimack River in a shack, growing his own food and cutting his firewood.
CANTERBURY, N.H. (AP) — For almost three decades, 81-year-old David Lidstone has lived in the woods of New Hampshire along the Merrimack River in a small cabin adorned with solar panels. He has grown his own food, cut his own firewood, and tended to his cat and chickens.
But his off-the-grid existence appears to be at risk.
"River Dave," as he's known by boaters and kayakers, is behind bars after being accused of squatting for 27 years on private property in Canterbury. As the owner of the land seeks to tear down the cabin, Lidstone has been jailed since July 15 on a civil contempt sanction.
"You came with your guns, you arrested me, brought me in here, you've got all my possessions. You keep 'em," he told a judge at a hearing Wednesday. "I'll sit here with your uniform on until I rot, sir."
Jodie Gedeon, an avid kayaker who befriended Lidstone about 20 years ago, is working with other supporters to help him, including organizing a petition drive and collecting money to cover property taxes.
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"He's just a really, really, big caring guy, and just chooses to live off the grid," she said. "It really is about humanity, it really is about compassion, empathy ... he's not hurting anybody."
Merrimack County Superior Court Judge Andrew Schulman agreed that Lidstone isn't hurting anyone, but said the law is clearly on the landowner's side.
"You're doing your own thing in the 'Live Free or Die' state, so there's a lot of sympathy to you for that," he said. "But there's a lot of weight on the other side of the balance sheet, and not just about what the (landowner) wants to do with the land, but the weight I feel to uphold the judgment of the court and the rule of law."
Gedeon and other supporters came out to a town selectboard meeting on Monday. Board members said the town currently has no standing in the property dispute.
But even if there were a way to allow Lidstone to stay, it would be an uphill battle. His home is in violation of local and state zoning and environmental regulations, and there is no access to a road.
"You guys are in a quandary. So are we," selectman Robert Steenson said.
The woodlot Lidstone calls home is just a few miles away from Interstate 93. But it's hidden by the trees; it's on 73 acres that's been used for timber harvests. The property has been owned by the same family since 1963. There are no plans at this time to develop it.
Lidstone has claimed that years ago, the owner gave his word — but nothing in writing — allowing him to live there. But in the eyes of the current owner, he's a squatter and needs to go.
Property owner Leonard Giles, 86, of South Burlington, Vermont, didn't even know Lidstone was there until the town administrator found out in 2015 and told him, expressing concern "with regard to the solid and septic waste disposal and the potential zoning violations created by the structure," according to Giles' complaint in 2016.
The judge suggested Wednesday that Giles and town officials work with a mediator, but Giles' lawyer said the logistics would be too daunting.
"We've got to recognize the fact that this was a managed woodlot, with income which is supposed to support my elderly client in his retirement. At some point, how far is he supposed to go in order to turn his woodlot into a habitable lot for somebody else who's there trespassing?" said attorney Lisa Snow Wade. "He just wants his land back."
Lidstone, who doesn't have an attorney, insisted his cabin is a hunting and fishing camp, not a home.
"Why do you need a road to it? Do you think I'm an idiot? You're going to put a septic tank in for a hunting camp?" he said.
He also argued that Giles doesn't own the property but is being pressured by the town.
"He's a heck of a nice old man, I've talked with him a couple of times. This is not his fault, this is not my fault," he said. "It's lying, cheating corrupt judges like you that are stepping on little people like me. But I'm telling you, sir, you step on me, I'm going to bite your ankle."
Lidstone, a bearded, small-framed, spritely man, has resisted efforts to leave since a judge issued an order for him to vacate in 2017. Following that, both sides had attempted to reach some sort of agreement for him, but were unsuccessful, according to court documents.
Currently, Lidstone can be released if one of three things happen: He agrees to leave, the cabin is demolished by Giles, or 30 days have passed since he was jailed. Another hearing will be held next week.
Photos: 'River Dave' forced out after living in woods for 27 years
This undated photo provided by Jodie Gedeon shows the shack that David Lidstone, 81, has built and lived in for nearly three decades in the woods of Canterbury, N.H., growing his own food and cutting his firewood. He's now jailed after not complying with a court order to leave, and there's a growing petition to just let "River Dave" live out his days off the grid. (Jodie Gedeon via AP)
In this undated photo provided by Jodie Gedeon, David Lidstone, 81, smiles in the woods of Canterbury, N.H. Lidstone has lived in the woods along the Merrimack River for nearly three decades in a shack, growing his own food and cutting his firewood. (Jodie Gedeon via AP)
This undated photo provided by Jodie Gedeon shows the shack that David Lidstone, 81, has built and lived in for nearly three decades in the woods of Canterbury, N.H. (Jodie Gedeon via AP)
This undated photo provided by Jodie Gedeon shows the shack that David Lidstone, 81, has built and lived in for nearly three decades in the woods of Canterbury, N.H., growing his own food and cutting his firewood. (Jodie Gedeon via AP)
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Associated Press writer Holly Ramer contributed to this report.
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Why Olympians bite their medals and what they do with them
Bronze medalists Matteo Castaldo, Marco di Costanzo, Matteo Lodo and Giuseppe Vicino of Italy bite their medals during the medal ceremony.
The sight of a jubilant Olympian standing atop the podium after being victorious in their discipline with a gold medal between their teeth is an iconic one.
We've seen it numerous times at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games already, across a host of disciplines.
The official Tokyo 2020 account even went as far on Sunday to try to remind people that the medals are not, in fact, edible.
"We just want to officially confirm that the #Tokyo2020 medals are not edible," it said.
"Our medals are made from material recycled from electronic devices donated by the Japanese public. So, you don't have to bite them ... but we know you still will."
But why do these victorious athletes decide to celebrate their coronation by pretending to take a bite out of their gold medals?
David Wallechinsky, Executive Committee Member of the International Society of Olympic Historians, told CNN in 2012 that it's probably an attempt to satisfy the media.
"It's become an obsession with the photographers," says Wallechinsky, co-author of "The Complete Book of the Olympics." "I think they look at it as an iconic shot, as something that you can probably sell. I don't think it's something the athletes would probably do on their own."
The phenomenon is not exclusive to the Olympics though.
Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal has become famous for looking like he wants to take a chunk out of the trophies he wins, in particular the Coupe des Mousquetaires — the French Open men's singles trophy — he's become so acquainted with.
Gold medalist Lasha Bekauri of Georgia nibbling his prize during the medal ceremony for the judo men's -90kg contest.
Keeping it safe
Victorious athletes across the Olympic spectrum have gone to different lengths to find a place for their medals.
Team GB's Tom Daley, who won the men's synchronized 10m diving competition with his partner Matty Lee on Monday, knitted a pouch to keep his gold medal safe while he was in Tokyo.
Daley, who took up crocheting over lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic, posted on Instagram that he had made the holder to "prevent it getting scratched."
For Slovenian cyclist Primoz Roglic, who won gold in the men's individual time trial, he admitted the medal itself surprised him.
"Actually, it's quite a heavy thing, but it's beautiful. I'm super proud and happy," he told the media.
In 2008, Team USA footballer Christie Rampone told the Tampa Bay Times that her array of medals was hidden amongst the pots and pans in her house as she believed they would be the last places someone might look.
Swiss cyclist Marlen Reusser poses for a photograph and bites her silver medal after the women's individual time trial.
During his early days at the Olympics, Michael Phelps came up with some innovative methods to transport his medals around.
In a "60 Minutes" interview with Anderson Cooper in 2012, Phelps said he kept his eight gold medals from the 2008 Beijing Games in a traveling makeup case wrapped in a grey T-shirt.
Given he is the most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals, Phelps might have to adopt a new method to house them.
However, not all athletes have held onto their Olympic keepsakes.
Superstar boxer Wladimir Klitschko told CNN that he sold the gold medal he won at the 1996 Atlanta Games for $1 million, with the funds going to the Klitschko Brothers foundation — a charity set up by him and his brother Vitali to help impoverished children in their home nation of Ukraine.
"We care about education and sport, that is the key in any children's life," Wladimir said.
"If they have knowledge, they can succeed with that in their adult life and sport gives them the rules — how to respect your opponent, how to respect the rules.
"It is always in life like that, you go down but you have to get up, and sport gives you this great lesson."
U.S. swimmer Anthony Ervin auctioned off his 2000 Olympic gold medal on eBay to aid survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
