Iowa Man Breaks A Key Thursday Night Mowing League Bylaw, Gets Arrested

Iowa man Lee Bowman, 53, broke one of the most important Thursday Night Mowing League rules that all league members must understand and follow before they can get a spot amongst fellow mowers: thou shalt not burn down thy neighbor's house over a mowing dispute.

Police say Bowman was in a dispute over the weekend that escalated, which then led to Bowman being arrested and admitting to breaking that key TNML rule.

"Court documents reveal that Bowman lives next door to the victim's house. He was upset because he asked the victims to mow his lawn the day before and they hadn't mowed," CBS-14 in Sioux City reported. "He came to the victim's house on Sunday, which was captured on video. Bowman was asking when they were going to mow IT and he then tried to take the registration sticker off one of their vehicles."

According to court documents obtained by CBS-14, Bowman told authorities he'd used gasoline from a lawnmower to cause the fire and said he made a "mistake." Police say Bowman used sticks and plywood to start the fire that did $3,000 in damages. The guy is clearly crazy if he risked a plywood supply to burn down that house. Absolute lunatic!

What I really need to know from Lee is why the neighbors were responsible for mowing his lawn. Was it a teenager who needed some cash situation? Is Bowman lazy? Is he injured? Bad allergies? Did Lee need to go out of town and needed an emergency cut only to be denied by the neighbors?

This story is missing many details, but that doesn't change the fact that Lee tried to burn down his neighbor's house. Completely unacceptable and it calls for an immediate lifetime ban. TNML members strive to help their neighbors rise up, not tear them down. We strive to make our neighbors feel welcome in the mowing community so they'll keep their own yards looking nice. We don't go burning down houses and causing chaos in the neighborhood which could devalue our own property.

Here are admirable TNML members in action:

Sean C. – My first official night in the Thursday Night Mowing League via Granger, IN:

Nick S. writes: "Not much, but it’s mine."

Jason in Taneytown (pronounced taw knee town) MD:

"I have to admit I almost went out earlier in the week to beat the heat that was coming in later in the week but I knew the team needed me to show up on game day. My morale was low coming in (caps 2nd straight loss in OT in playoff last night) and I had to battle through adversity (allergies) but I got the job done. My yard isn’t the best in the neighborhood but it looks clean and ready for the kids to run barefoot through the sprinkler. I know my place on the team. Not the star but the guy who plays good d gets on base and steals some bases. Pretty much my scouting report from my playing days."