The mystery of who was tossing coffee cups on one Southtowns lawn has finally been solved after three years.

Just about every day for three years, a vehicle would slow down in front of Edward Patton's home on Versailles Road -- and toss a single McDonald's coffee cup out the window onto the lawn.

The Buffalo News reports:

"Edward Patton invested in security cameras and high-powered binoculars, and even waited out in the cold, to try to catch the trash-tosser in the act. But he never clearly saw the license plate number and the Pattons remained mystified at who was treating their home as a personal garbage dump – and why."

Neighbors agreed to help the Patton's identify the litterbug, and set up a stakeout where they caught the person in the act, and also got the license plate information.

The Hamburg police were called, and a 76-year-old man was identified as the driver.

"The couple say they were shocked to learn his identity: The man cited for harassment was Cheryl Patton's former co-worker, Larry Pope, and, she told police, he had resented her for years.

"I'm flabbergasted," Edward Patton told The Buffalo News."

The cups began appearing over three years ago, usually always a McDonald's cup with a cigarette butt inside. The couple initially thought it was a harmless prank, until it kept happening.

They collected over 300 cups in a year's time.

The Buffalo News reports:

"Officers charged Pope with harassment, a violation, and ticketed him for throwing refuse onto a roadway, a vehicle and traffic infraction."

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