MARTINSBURG (AP).- A West Virginia artist is charged with littering after he placed a toilet on a pedestal in a city square in what he says was a plea for more public art.

The Herald-Mail (http://bit.ly/JjCpUv) reports 42-year-old David Heatwole of Martinsburg could be fined up to $500 if convicted May 2 in Municipal Court. He tied three purple, helium-filled balloons to the toilet's handle and attached a fake bill of sale for a "crappy work of art."

Heatwole tells the newspaper he wanted to show the city that art can make the city a better place to live.

The pedestal he used was built last year for a planned sculpture of Martinsburg's founder, Revolutionary War Maj. Gen. Adam Stephen. Heatwole has suggested installing a contemporary art sculpture on the pedestal instead of a historical monument.


Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.