Police in Portland, Maine, arrested 30-year-old Asher Woodworth after he walked back and forth slowly through downtown traffic dressed as a tree.

When Woodworth refused to comply with police orders, authorities took him to jail on a misdemeanor charge of obstructing a public way.

Police said Woodworth's motivation was to "see how people would react to his performance" and how it would "impact people's natural choreography."

Woodworth was covered in dozens of evergreen branches, which police removed to find his identification and make his face clear for a booking photo.

A friend of the man said he was trying to study the city's traffic patterns.

About the Author

Keep Reading

In April, AMR paid DeKalb a penalty of more than $1.3 million for its substandard performance the previous to years. Now, the county says recent improvements in service mean the company deserves a new five-year contract. (AJC file)

Credit: JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

Featured

The DeKalb school district is suing to recover money spent on cellphone lockers, plus money spent on implementing social media guidelines and hosting associated events, lost teaching time and to hire extra school counselors. (The New York Times file)

Credit: NYT