Many look at Steve Bedigian's Colorado home and raise an eyebrow. Bedigian lives in a hole in the ground with his dog, and he loves it.
“I live an idyllic life up here. Not in the eyes of most,” Bedigian says. “I am more free than anyone I personally know.”
The son of a veteran, Bedigian likes to spend his time alone. He doesn't care about material possessions and doesn't mind getting dirty every once in a while.
Bedigian owns the six-acre property he lives on. All it has is a nook of shelter and endless rows of flags dedicated to his father Sgt. Mike, who served in Korea as a Marine and earned a Purple Heart.
However, Bedigian's preference to raise flags in his father's honor until they get tattered has caused residents to report him. The county believes Bedigian is violating several zoning regulations, even though it is his property.
The county considers Bedigian a camper and is cracking down. They want Bedigian to clean up the property, thus removing his entire home.
“I would say it's one of the toughest issues that we've dealt with,” county development director Sheila Cross says. “There's so much controversy. And the county wanted to do the right thing for everybody. But it's sometimes impossible to do that.”
Bedigian is fighting the county in court. A cancer sufferer, he intends to die on the property he calls Sgt. Mike's.
“You can take my corpse from Sgt. Mike's but you will not take my freedom from me,” Bedigian says.
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