Grieving man is ARRESTED for littering after putting a wooden box of flowers on his fiancée's grave: Cops took action after dead woman's pastor father made complaint

 A grieving man was arrested for littering in Alabama after leaving a handmade box of flowers on his 26-year-old fiancée's grave after his would-be-father-in-law made a complaint to police.  

Winchester Hagans, 31, of Opelika, is facing littering charges after leaving a wooden flower box at Hannah Ford's grave to honor the one-year anniversary of her death. She was killed in a car accident while driving home from a wedding venue last January. Hagans' hand-carved flower box was decorated with quotes and photos of the couple and filled with her favorite flowers.

'Someone she knew keeps trashing them,' he shared on Instagram in July 2021 noting that the flowers had been removed four times before, 'but each time he throws them away I'll plant more.' 

'I just want to be able to put flowers by my fiancée's grave,' Hagans told WTVM.   

Winchester Hagans, 31, was arrested for littering in Alabama after leaving a handmade flower box on his fiancée Hannah Ford's grave to honor the one-year anniversary of her death

Hannah, 26, died in a car accident in January 2021- a month after Hagans popped the question- while on her way home from visiting a local wedding venue

Hagans' hand-carved flower box was decorated with photos of the couple and filled with her favorite flowers, which was repeatedly been removed 

The warrant for Hagans' arrest was signed by Hannah's father, Tom Ford. Hagans said he was not contacted by his almost-father-in-law before the arrest

Hagans spoke with the city before leaving the flower box, and officials told him the box technically violated local rules but that they would not remove the memorial unless requested to do so by the family. 

When Hagans was later pulled over by police in late January for expired tags, he was shocked. 'The officer came over and said, 'Hey Mr. Hagans can you step out of the car, there is a warrant for your arrest.' I said, 'No, that's impossible, there's no way.'

'I really just thought it was going to be a clerical error,' Hagans told DailyMail.com on Friday. 

He later learned that his fiancée's father, Tom Ford, had pushed for the arrest warrant, which he says was signed January 4. Hagans said he was never contacted by the man before the arrest. 

Hannah, 26, died in a car accident on January 17, 2021 - a month after Hagans popped the question and a week after her birthday - while on her way home from visiting a local wedding venue. 

She was driving a 2010 Honda CRV in Montgomery around 6:50 p.m. when she crashed into a 2009 Chevrolet Impala carrying four occupants, and a 2008 Toyota Sienna with three occupants a mile away from her house. 

Three people in the Impala walked away with minor injuries and no one in the Sienna was injured. Hannah died instantly, according to her obituary.  

Hannah, an up-and-coming political strategist, was the daughter of the Rev. Tom Ford III, a physical therapist and pastor of Grace Church in Montgomery, and Leigh Hubbard Ford. She is survived by her parents and seven younger siblings. 

Hannah, an up-and-coming political strategist, was the daughter of the Rev. Tom Ford III (right), a physical therapist and pastor of Grace Church in Montgomery, and Leigh Hubbard Ford (left)

Ford was the daughter of the Rev. Tom Ford III, a physical therapist and pastor of Grace Church in Montgomery, and Leigh Hubbard Ford, and is survived by seven siblings (Pictured: The Ford family) 

Hannah's (bottom left) sister Bekah (bottom right) shared this collage on what would have been her 27th birthday

Hannah was the oldest of her seven siblings and grew up in conservative Christian circles (Pictured: Hannah Ford, left, with her sister Maggie, right)

Hagans is the son of Evangelist Rick Hagans, and the couple was well-known in local Evangelist circles.   

He told DailyMail.com they visited the wedding venue together before leaving in separate cars. Before they parted, she told him, 'How awesome is it that we know there are best days ahead of us? I just hate leaving you so much,' he said.

'That ended up meaning something totally different.' 

Hagans remembers the last time he ever saw Hannah as one where she was giggling and wearing ponytails, and they were planning the wedding together.

'Even though she is gone I promised her I would never bring her cut flowers again. She was the love of my life the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with,' he said. 

'She was the best thing that ever happened to me,' Hagans shared on Instagram shortly after her death. 

Hagans manages a personal online blog where he shares his insights into Christianity and his life with and without Hannah.  

'The first time I met Hannah Ford I was sitting in a coffee shop reading a book on the Canons of Dort,' he writes. Hagans goes on to tell how the two continued meeting up at the same coffee shop where they met and struggled to manage their relationship and religion. 

'You said "I love you" first, but I knew I loved you first. I can still remember hearing those words a few hours after I was engaged to the woman I believed I would spend the rest of my life with,' he wrote in a post last July. 

The young woman is remembered as 'a woman of faith who brought her convictions to government activism and was an important player in Alabama politics,' according to AL.com.  

Hannah 'impacted lives with a kind heart, happy attitude, great wisdom and many talents,' an obituary shared by her mother noted.  

Her sister Bekah shared a Facebook post on January 14 to honor Hannah's 'first birthday in Heaven,' writing: 'I keep being reminded of the relationship that she and I shared and of the sweetness and joy I had in knowing her.' 

Ford's sister Maggie shared one last memory of her sister on Facebook at the time of her death. 

'Last time we talked, I said something random; I said, "Hannah, I love you. You know I would die for you" and you said, "Yes, I know." The world doesn't spin like that, but I treasure the moment and a million others. I went through fire and water with you; no one else really understood those days.'

'She may have been small in stature, but she was a giant when she walked in a room,' Scott Dawson said. Hannah served as his communications coordinator on the Birmingham Evangelist's 2018 campaign for governor. 

Hannah, pictured, is survived by her parents and seven siblings

Hagans is the son of Evangelist Rick Hagans, and the couple was well-known in local Evangelist circles

Dawson hired Hannah when she was 22 years old. 'She'd been involved in a couple campaigns and handled herself brilliantly,' he said.  

'She could operate so effectively with so little sleep, meet deadlines, get work done,' Dawson remembered. 

'She was brilliant, yet humble. She was quoting scripture, but she was so well read she knew all the latest headlines we had to discuss. She gave me hope that leaders are still out there.' 

'She was someone who could win the room,' Dawson added. 'She could be fiery, never unladylike. She would not miss an opportunity to make sure her point was made. She was fast on her feet.'  

Hannah even inspired Dawson's daughter to pursue a career in politics. 

'She was one of the hardest working people I ever met. She was brilliant. She did everything through a biblical worldview. She was so graceful and so kind. She was like a sister. She really taught me so much. She taught me life is bigger than politics,' Hope Dawson said. 

The outpouring of praise speaks to the impact Hannah made in the few years she spent working in Alabama's conservative political circles. 

Bill Armistead, former chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, described Hannah as 'one of the most Christ-like, loving and caring persons one could know.'

'She was a brilliant political strategist at such a young age who helped so many conservatives win election and then advise them on policy issues. Hannah leaves a huge void in the hearts of many, many people. Please remember the Ford family in your prayers,' he said. 

He recalled how Hannah had just texted him expressing her excitement to marry Hagans. 

'God sent a man who loves Jesus deeply, loved me tenderly, and is just the best ever!!! I can’t believe I get to marry him!!!’ Hannah told him less than 24 hours before her deadly accident. 

The Ford family had no comment and Hagans did not immediately respond to a request for comment by DailyMail.com. 

Hagans said he was never contacted by Hannah's father before the arrest 

The young woman is remembered as 'a woman of faith who brought her convictions to government activism and was an important player in Alabama politics'