Amputee happy to be reunited with foot

Fortunately for Ezekiel Rubottom, there’s no law against keeping your severed foot in a bucket on the front porch.

Rubottom, a 21-year-old Lawrence resident, ex-pressed relief Monday after police gave him back his left foot, which he began storing in a five-gallon bucket of formaldehyde on the porch at 627 Conn. after it was amputated three weeks ago. Police seized the foot Saturday, thinking it could have been evidence of a crime, but returned it after verifying Rubottom was the rightful owner.

“It’s cool. It’s all good,” Rubottom said. “Now I’ve got my foot back. That’s all I wanted.”

Rubottom, an artist, occasional hip-hop emcee and recovering methamphetamine addict, is technically homeless right now but often stays with a friend at the home on Connecticut. He said he was born with a clubbed left foot and struggled throughout his life with pressure sores and infections.

Earlier this summer, a bone infection in the foot got so bad that he had to have it amputated at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. He decided to keep it.

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