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Two people were found guilty Tuesday of illegal camping under Ashland’s anti-camping ordinance after trying unsuccessfully to have their charges dismissed in court. Daniel Fish and Carol Laughlin asked Ashland Municipal Court Judge Pam Turner to dismiss the case after they were cited for camping in their van in front of the Holiday Inn Express on Clover Lane in June. Medford lawyer William Mansfield argued that the city of Ashland ordinance states that to be illegally camping a person must have bedding and other objects on public land that excludes the general public from using the space. Because the defendants were housed in a van in a public parking spot, Mansfield argued, they were not blocking other use nor were they camping under the language of the ordinance. He also argued that, under state law, people camping are to be given 24 hours notice, and his clients were cited on the spot. Mansfield also told the court that, under Oregon law, his clients should have been given information about safe shelter for the homeless and agencies assisting the homeless should have been contacted. Prosecutor Doug McGeary argued that notifications are not necessary. In a body-camera video recorded by the officers who cited the couple, the couple could be heard telling the police they had engine trouble and were expecting help soon. Fish identified himself as homeless. McGeary said the presence of bedding, the fact the individuals were sleeping in the van and had been warned previously added up to unlawful camping. Mansfield argued that the presence of bedding in a closed van does not exclude anyone from using the area, the hotel or any public space in the area. “Bedding does not fit the definition of a camp site," he said. "It must exclude the general public. This does not fit within the definition.” The packed, emotionally charged courtroom included homeless advocates, and one of the defendants, Laughlin, wept. At one point McGeary told the court that if the couple had van problems they could have checked into the hotel, and if they could not afford to stay there, then they shouldn’t have been in the location. The statement elicited gasps from some in the audience. Turner denied Mansfield’s motions to dismiss, found the defendants guilty and ordered them to pay a fine of $110. “I cannot make it less than that under Oregon statute,” the judge said. Turner, in issuing her verdict, said her ruling was an interpretation of law, not a statement about homelessness and homeless people. “The city’s camping ordinance is not the solution," she said. "The courts can only interpret the law. I am not commenting if it should be an ordinance, but it is, so I find the defendants guilty of violating the camping ordinance.” As Laughlin left the courtroom, she said, “I will have to leave Ashland. I can’t be here.” “I have to be somewhere," Fish said. "I exist. I can’t help that. Where do they want me to go?” — Email Ashland freelance writer Julie Akins at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/@julieakins.