“The resident has displayed Halloween skeletons in her front yard since October,” Mr. Ross said in an email. “She will have to appear in court, however she can put the skeletons away until next September (45 days before Halloween) and only be responsible for court costs rather than any potential fines,” he added.
Any penalties would be determined by the city prosecutor and judge after the initial hearing, Mr. Ross said. Of the nine citations that were issued for similar displays during the first week of December, eight were resolved once the residents took down their skeletons, he said. Only Ms. Luttrell has refused to comply.
“Well,” she said, “it looks like court.”
Ms. Luttrell, who has a law degree, works in health care compliance for a pharmaceutical company. She said she had already been contacted by several lawyers who were interested in taking up her case.
“I’m going to fight this,” she said.
Ms. Luttrell does not think she has run afoul of the ordinance, she said, because the skeletons are Christmas-themed and the holiday window outlined by the city has not expired.
Besides, she asked, who gets to define what holiday decorations look like?
Ms. Luttrell did not anticipate any trouble when, in early October, she purchased the dog skeleton from Home Depot and his owner from Joann Fabric and Crafts. She felt lucky to have found them since the large skeletons tend to sell out.
Ms. Luttrell put the skeletons up in her yard with the help of her sister, Christina Luttrell, and her daughter, Jeanne Tutor, whom Ms. Luttrell described as a Halloween fanatic. The holiday passed without incident. It was only when Ms. Luttrell incorporated the skeletons into her Christmas display — they were joined by an inflatable Santa and Christmas tree — that the city took notice.
