LANCASTER, Calif. – The quirky Mojave Desert attraction known as Phonehenge West is coming down and it’s colorful creator is not going to jail — at least not now — for constructing the dozen odd-shaped structures without bothering to obtain building permits.

A judge had been scheduled to sentence Kim Fahey of Acton on Friday, perhaps to as much as a dozen years in jail, for defying authorities for decades as he created Phonehenge West out of everything from abandoned movie sets to discarded utility poles and other junk.

However, she postponed his sentencing to Sept. 23 after learning a demolition crew that Fahey hired was scheduled to arrive Friday at his home 50 miles north of Los Angeles to begin dismantling a 70-foot tower he erected. The building, with its quirky shape, stained-glass windows and energy-producing windmills, was recently opened up to Glamour magazine for a photo shoot.

Superior Court Judge Daviann L. Mitchell said she was also promised by Fahey’s lawyer that nearly a dozen other buildings, including a replica of a 16th century Viking house and an antique railroad car, would be coming down soon.

“Mr. Fahey, I want to compliment you, it sounds like everything is going along very well,” Mitchell told the burly, 59-year-old builder. If he continues to comply with her orders, Mitchell indicated, she would sentence him to community service.

 

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