Man's Romantic Balloon Gesture a Felony: Florida

Warning to all Florida residents: Be sure to express your love in an Earth-friendly way. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that a 40-year-old man faces up to five years in prison because of 12 heart-shaped balloons. Anthony Brasfield was with his girlfriend in the parking lot of a Motel 6 on the morning of Feb. 17, and released the balloons into the big blue yonder. The intention might have been to watch them soar as high as their love; the reality was that a Florida Highway Patrol trooper was watching too, and deemed the act an environmental crime.

Brasfield was charged with a third-degree felony under the rarely used Florida Air and Water Pollution Control Act. It seems a number of endangered species (including wood storks and brown pelicans) reside less than two miles from the motel; Brasfield was charged with polluting to harm animals. (More weird crimes stories.)