Perry appeared in 4th District Court to enter her plea in a case that prominent Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred described as a gross injustice.

Perry's next court date in this northern Utah County city is Oct. 11 for a pre-trial conference.

"Today, law enforcement in Orem has enshrined itself as the laughing stock of our country by prosecuting a 70-year-old great-grandmother for allegedly not watering her lawn," Allred told reporters outside the courthouse.

"This ill-conceived action ensures Orem's law-enforcement authorities first place in [Guinness World Records] for stupidity."

But Andrew Peterson, the city attorney prosecuting the case, said the charges were based on the evidence - not publicity or Perry's circumstances.

"We look at the evidence and decide, in the interests of justice, if we should file charges," Peterson said.

In July, Perry was cited by Officer James Flygare of the Police Department's Neighborhood Preservation Unit for failing to water her lawn. Perry refused to give her name to Flygare and, when he tried to stop her from going back inside her house, she reportedly tripped and injured her nose in the scuffle.

She was arrested and taken to police station but released shortly afterward.

"I ask the citizens of Orem, how many of you would like to have your great-grandmother taken from her home with bruises and blood, and placed in handcuffs for failing to water her lawn?" Allred asked, holding up a pair of old-fashioned manacles to illustrate her point.

An investigation by the state Department of Public Safety released in August cleared Flygare of any wrongdoing, and city officials pressed charges against Perry on the landscape violation, a class C misdemeanor, and interference with an arrest, a class B misdemeanor.

Allred described the investigation into Flygare as "self-serving and face-saving," and said the city did an about-face from its earlier apologies for Perry's treatment when it brought charges against her. Allred suggested the city may have filed charges in response to the threat of a civil lawsuit by Perry, something Allred said has not been filed at this time.

Not true, said Peterson, pointing out that Perry was charged because the evidence indicated she had committed a crime. He said interfering with an arrest is a serious charge because it puts an officer into potential danger.

"An officer shouldn't have to struggle with a suspect," Peterson said.

As for the lawn-watering charge, Peterson said his office handles dozens of them a year, and only when the accused has not responded to administrative requests to correct the problem.

Perry only spoke to enter her not-guilty plea and to verify her name and address on the charges. Allred said Perry would not be making any public statements.

Allred, a high-profile Los Angeles attorney who has represented the family of O.J. Simpson's murdered wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Amber Frey, the girlfriend of convicted murderer Scott Peterson, said she was there to provide support for Perry.

She said Perry had contacted her for help. Meanwhile, Perry's criminal defense is being handled by M. Paige Benjamin, a Provo attorney.

For his part, Benjamin said: "We look forward to having her case heard in court and look forward to having the opportunity to focus on the legal issues and show that, in fact, it has been a case that has not been dealt with properly."

dmeyers@sltrib.com