Property Dispute Leaves 3 Dead, 1 Injured and 2 In Prison, Maybe For Life

[lilranch2001]

Life in general is a risk…….

 

[ovrszd]

Ten years ago I had a dispute with a neighbor that moved the property line 10ft to his benefit when he built a new fence. I gave him six months to move the date with a specific completion date. The day before the deadline he hadn't done anything. I drove my FEL tractor over to his pasture gate and waited for him to come back out from haying his cattle. He piddled in the pasture for 20 minutes thinking I would leave. I told him that tomorrow morning I would remove his fence with my grapple throwing all the steel in the iron scrap pile and cutting the wood posts for firewood. He said he'd rather I didn't do that. I said then move your fence. The next morning he disassembled his fence and put it back on the legal property line. Our relationship was a bit distant for a couple years. But he's gotten over it and we get along fine.

I've got a new neighbor on the other side now. City guy from Florida with too much money. I've had to put up a gate and add no trespassing signs to keep him from hunting on me. But the other day he called asking for help. His pickup had coasted off and ended up in the pond. I took my tractor down and pulled it out. I think we'll get along fine. He just has a different understanding of property access than us locals. His initial attitude seemed to be that he could do whatever he wanted.

No guns involved in either situation.

 

[lilranch2001]

My little world of Indiana, all the neighbors are quite open with each other, and we “ trespass” on each other’s property, all the time and take care of each other’s properties when we need to.

I’ve lived here for over 30 years and mowed my farmer neighbor to the west properties that he didn’t get to or didn’t get around to because he had more chores and he couldn’t take care of and since I didn’t I kept his weeds mowed down and I do the same thing on the neighbor to the east.

Between both neighbors I mow an extra 4-5 acres each week, the farmer to the west passed on 6-7 years ago, but his widow could never take care of it and it makes my property just a little bit nicer!

 

[RjCorazza]

Ten years ago I had a dispute with a neighbor that moved the property line 10ft to his benefit when he built a new fence. I gave him six months to move the date with a specific completion date. The day before the deadline he hadn't done anything. I drove my FEL tractor over to his pasture gate and waited for him to come back out from haying his cattle. He piddled in the pasture for 20 minutes thinking I would leave. I told him that tomorrow morning I would remove his fence with my grapple throwing all the steel in the iron scrap pile and cutting the wood posts for firewood. He said he'd rather I didn't do that. I said then move your fence. The next morning he disassembled his fence and put it back on the legal property line. Our relationship was a bit distant for a couple years. But he's gotten over it and we get along fine.

I've got a new neighbor on the other side now. City guy from Florida with too much money. I've had to put up a gate and add no trespassing signs to keep him from hunting on me. But the other day he called asking for help. His pickup had coasted off and ended up in the pond. I took my tractor down and pulled it out. I think we'll get along fine. He just has a different understanding of property access than us locals. His initial attitude seemed to be that he could do whatever he wanted.

No guns involved in either situation.

That's very similar to how my fence dispute ended with my parents neighbor. The lawyer we had to hire for the driveway encroachment also handled the fence of the other neighbor. He cautioned against taking possession of the fence materials, even though it would have been legal. I was all set to pull it all out and stack the material just over the property line, but he met the deadline in removing it himself.

 

[MattB4]

A classic problem with old fences and property lines is they often they are not the same thing. A lot of rural properties have fences that were put up to control livestock or simply took a guess as where they should be. If it encroaches on another's property a few feet when the acreage is large why fight about it. Lawyers and Courts are expensive.

Without a survey I have no idea if the previously existing fence between me and the neighbor is accurate. Does not hurt either of us since we are not worried about feet and inches.

Some folks take property rights to a ridiculous extreme as this Thread is about. I understand the frustration of dealing with Trespassers which is a different matter.

 

[ovrszd]

My little world of Indiana, all the neighbors are quite open with each other, and we “ trespass” on each other’s property, all the time and take care of each other’s properties when we need to.

I’ve lived here for over 30 years and mowed my farmer neighbor to the west properties that he didn’t get to or didn’t get around to because he had more chores and he couldn’t take care of and since I didn’t I kept his weeds mowed down and I do the same thing on the neighbor to the east.

Between both neighbors I mow an extra 4-5 acres each week, the farmer to the west passed on 6-7 years ago, but his widow could never take care of it and it makes my property just a little bit nicer!

Same here. I mow several miles of roadbanks and waterways into fields. I'm proud of my little neighborhood and it's residents.

 

[lilranch2001]

I had a guy that lives down the road mentioned to me one day that since I do so much mowing of somebody else’s property. I should use adverse possession rules to take over what I’ve mowed.
And my response to him was “why would I want to be such a dick?“

 

[MoKelly]

I have a place in the city and 80 acres in a rural county. In the city the houses are on approx. acre lots and you can see 3-4 neighbors homes.

In the rural county everyone around me has 50 acres or more. You can’t see any neighbors homes.

It always amazes me that the vast majority of land disputes and arguments happens in the rural county. Most are over where fences are placed for livestock and where roadways/driveways are placed.

One of my neighbors with 110 acres used mostly for cow grazing, got very very upset when his neighbor put down more rock to expand the driveway and went 5 feet onto his property.

Words were exchanged and it got ugly.

Really?

Life is short.

 

[riptides]

Property rights can get ugly.

Some people just have no respect for others.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

At my homeplace I had it surveyed and along part of road frontage is a tractor dealership. Every time I go by the dealership is moving farther down onto property...but they also grade the driveway and keep the ditch open which helps my 97 yo Mom living there.
My attorney said just because someone moves farther onto your property doesn't mean they own it and said "I love it when my neighbor cuts my grass".

 

[MossRoad]

.....

It always amazes me that the vast majority of land disputes and arguments happens in the rural county. Most are over where fences are placed for livestock and where roadways/driveways are placed.

...

Because you have to practically live with your neighbors in the city, and you almost never interact with, let alone see, your neighbors in the country. When you have to live with someone, it's easier to get along than it is to argue. Hmmm.... kinda sounds like marriage.

 

[two_bit_score]

I read that in some states you can petition the court to grant an easement where no access to a property exists.

You can petition a court for anything, anywhere, anytime. You may wind up paying some court costs and the opponents legal fees if you lose though.

 

[two_bit_score]

It always amazes me that the vast majority of land disputes and arguments happens in the rural county. Most are over where fences are placed for livestock and where roadways/driveways are placed.

I think that is because in urban areas the parcels are smaller and surveys are easier to do on small tracts. Doesn't mean mistakes don't happen but it's easier to resolve a few inches off at a corner over 150 or 200' than it is several feet off at a corner over 10,000 feet or more, involving many acres and possibly affecting mineral rights. In urban areas, even very old, established urban areas parcels often change hands more frequently than in rural areas where the last survey may have been 2 or 3 generations ago.

 

[lilranch2001]

Because you have to practically live with your neighbors in the city, and you almost never interact with, let alone see, your neighbors in the country. When you have to live with someone, it's easier to get along than it is to argue. Hmmm.... kinda sounds like marriage.

I guess I am different from you, I see, and interact with my country neighbors a lot, but then I tend to get along with people well……

 

[paulsharvey]

I'm in a neighborhood of mixed 2 and 5 acre parcels; and when we moved here, it was like 6 2 acre pieces of woods on the left and right of me, with 3 5 acre pieces of woods behind me. Now, it's just 1 wooded piece left and 1 right, and the ones behind me. I couldn't tell you the names of any of the direct neighbors. I can tell you, the old farts across the street, the *** offender across the street, the *** offender through the woods, the guy with the black Challenger, old guy with the German shepards, but that's about it. My view, I would rather not know the close neighbors well enough they feel like they need to stop by to talk or whatever. Probably 70/30 chance I would hate or get along with them, but if I don't know them, no shepards.

Edit: I sound unfriendly as heck; but I have had a neighbor walk up (weird dude in the 2 story), and ask for a jump start. More than happy to do that, just don't invite me to dinner or coffee,

Got a guy one street over, who is a friend of a friend, but I avoid him, he's a weird dude, and we do know people, just avoid a relationship with people close enough they feel comfortable 'just stopping by'

 

[lilranch2001]

Wow, I am glad I know and like my neighbors!

 

[lilranch2001]

I'm in a neighborhood of mixed 2 and 5 acre parcels; and when we moved here, it was like 6 2 acre pieces of woods on the left and right of me, with 3 5 acre pieces of woods behind me. Now, it's just 1 wooded piece left and 1 right, and the ones behind me. I couldn't tell you the names of any of the direct neighbors. I can tell you, the old farts across the street, the *** offender across the street, the *** offender through the woods, the guy with the black Challenger, old guy with the German shepards, but that's about it. My view, I would rather not know the close neighbors well enough they feel like they need to stop by to talk or whatever. Probably 70/30 chance I would hate or get along with them, but if I don't know them, no shepards.

Edit: I sound unfriendly as heck; but I have had a neighbor walk up (weird dude in the 2 story), and ask for a jump start. More than happy to do that, just don't invite me to dinner or coffee,

Got a guy one street over, who is a friend of a friend, but I avoid him, he's a weird dude, and we do know people, just avoid a relationship with people close enough they feel comfortable 'just stopping by'

Yea, you do seem a bit unfriendly, so unlike the Paul Harvey America loved in the 60’s and 70’s!

 

[paulsharvey]

Yea, you do seem a bit unfriendly, so unlike the Paul Harvey America loved in the 60’s and 70’s!

You know, he actually was on until the earlish 2000s.

 

[lman]

I had a guy that lives down the road mentioned to me one day that since I do so much mowing of somebody else’s property. I should use adverse possession rules to take over what I’ve mowed.
And my response to him was “why would I want to be such a dick?“

I've got property like that and I figure that I have the best of both worlds because I am able to keep the property maintained so it looks good and I don't have to pay property taxes on it.

 

[MossRoad]

I guess I am different from you, I see, and interact with my country neighbors a lot, but then I tend to get along with people well……

We have 7 neighbors where we live now in an older neighborhood in the county, and pretty much everyone gets along very well. We all stop and talk fairly often. In the city, we were much closer, with only 10' setbacks between houses. Got along with everyone there as well.

Our property further out in the county has ZERO houses within a mile east, west, and south. The only other humans are 1 house across the highway. I've seen them once since 1989.