Man Forced To Eat His Own Beard
He claims his beard was cut off and stuffed in his mouth and that he was ordered to eat it last May. And that's only the beginning of what one Lawrenceburg man says he and his brother endured, all because of a fight over a lawn mower.

Harvey Westmoreland and his brother Joseph used to think highly Troy Holt and James Hill. In fact, they were friends. That was before that May incident on Willisburg Road, where Holt used to live.

"My brother was cleaning out the stalls out there for Troy, you know, working for him. They called and wanted me to come around there and when I got there, I realized they were already drunk," Westmoreland said.

Of all things to fight about, he said, punches started flying over a lawn mower.

"Troy offered to buy it from me for two hundred and fifty dollars. I paid twenty bucks for it. He thought I was trying to cheat him," Westmoreland said. "One thing led to another, and before I knew it, there were knives and guns and everything just went haywire."

He says his brother had a mark on his neck, where a knife was held. But Westmoreland's loss was more permanent.

"They cut my beard and forced me to eat it," he said.

Westmoreland said Holt and Hill let them go, but threatened to kill them if they called police. That wasn't enough to keep the two brothers from calling 911.

"I believe in the law. I believe that justice has been served, and it will be after Tuesday," Westmoreland said.

Sentencing for James Hill and Troy Holt will be next Tuesday morning in Lawrenceburg Circuit Court. Both Hill and Holt have pleaded guilty, and are expected to be fined and sentenced to supervision diversion.