West Des Moines Man Finances Lawn Care Business But His Grass is 10 Inches Tall

As he stands in 10-inch high grass and weeds, a West Des Moines man who bartered to make it easier for a couple to establish their lawn-care and landscaping company may regret his charity.

It was supposed to be a simple case of quid pro quo. The March 26 contact with a Des Moines couple stipulated that he would purchase a lawnmower and they would pay for it by mowing his lawn and taking care of other landscaping needs throughout the growing seasons both this year and next.

They’ve only been there three times since then and grass and weeds in his flower beds are 10 inches high, he and his attorney told last week.

The man’s attorney, Jon Hoffman, told Officer Gwen Fasano that his client had tried to contact the couple, but  got no response.

On May 9, the landscaper showed up at the man’s home and mowed the lawn. When Hoffman tried to serve the landscaper with notice that his client was suing him for breach of contract, the man “threw the paperwork back at Hoffman and shoved him out of the way, then loaded up the lawn mower and left, leaving the yard half mowed,” according to the police report.

Hoffman said he will mail the paperwork to the couple. He told Fasano he is concerned they are taking advantage of his client, who is 75, and “have no intentions of following the contract that was agreed upon.”