What began as a neighborhood squabble swiftly escalated into a full-blown conflict.
In a wild episode from Florida, a man’s outrage over uncollected dog droppings prompted a dramatic confrontation with his neighbor. Armed with the alleged offending waste, the man stormed into his neighbor’s home and hurled it at him, sparking a messy altercation that culminated in a fistfight and a heated exchange involving a child’s metal scooter, authorities reported.
The incident, a result of escalating tension, led to the arrest of 35-year-old Trey Decloedt by Lake County sheriff’s deputies on August 8. The arrest followed a chaotic scene at a Leesburg residence one day prior, as documented in the arrest affidavit.
The couple living next door revealed to police that the incident was the latest flashpoint in an ongoing dispute with Decloedt regarding dog feces littering their properties, a story echoed by WKMG-TV.
According to the husband, an enraged Decloedt forcefully entered his home without consent, clutching the feces, which he then threw, physically hitting him with the smelly substance.
The homeowner then pushed Decloedt back outside, where the two men got into a fight and Decloedt allegedly punched him in the face, according to the affidavit account.
The confrontation escalated further when Decloedt allegedly grabbed a child’s metal scooter, hoisted it over his head in a “menacing posture” and threatened the neighbor, according to reports.
Responding deputies observed a red mark on the neighbor’s forehead as well as animal feces outside the home, according to the affidavit.
Decloedt told deputies he had already complained to the neighbor’s wife about the mess and that she promised to clean it up — but four hours later, it was still there, according to bodycam footage obtained by WKMG-TV.
He claimed the neighbor later messaged him to come over and discuss the poop problem, then “shoved him in the doorway” before the two men fought in the driveway.
When deputies asked to enter Decloedt’s home to photograph injuries he said he suffered in the scuffle, he allegedly refused — and then declined orders to come outside, according to Law&Crime.
Deputies eventually placed him in handcuffs and brought him in for questioning, where, after being read his rights, he agreed to talk and stuck to his story.
Decloedt also told deputies that the two neighbors had previously had an understanding that allowed them to enter each other’s homes without knocking.
The neighbor, however, provided deputies with a recording that reportedly showed he had previously told Decloedt he was no longer welcome on the property or inside the house because of the feces dispute.
Decloedt was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery, simple battery and burglary.
Decloedt posted $16,000 bond on Aug. 9 and was released, according to Law&Crime, which reported that his next court date is Aug. 31.