A Florida man accused of turning dog poop into a weapon against his neighbor was arrested after a Leesburg yard-mess argument allegedly crossed the threshold, hit the homeowner and ended with a child’s scooter raised as a threat.
Trey Decloedt, 35, was booked by Lake County sheriff’s deputies after the Aug. 7 blowup, where the homeowner said animal waste from outside wound up inside his house and on him, according to reports citing the arrest affidavit.
The case left Decloedt facing aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery, simple battery and burglary charges.
Law&Crime reported that Decloedt posted $16,000 bond on Aug. 9 and was released ahead of an Aug. 31 court date.
The neighbor told deputies Decloedt came into the home while carrying the feces, even though the homeowner said he had not allowed him inside.
The waste was thrown during the encounter and struck the homeowner, the neighbor claimed.
Once the homeowner got Decloedt out of the house, the two men fought in the driveway, according to the affidavit account.
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Decloedt allegedly punched the man in the face, then grabbed a child’s metal scooter and held it above his head in a “menacing posture” while threatening him.
Deputies later documented a mark on the homeowner’s forehead and saw animal waste outside the residence, according to the affidavit.
WKMG-TV reported that Decloedt and the neighboring couple had already been arguing about dog feces around their homes before deputies were called.
Decloedt gave investigators his own account on bodycam footage obtained by WKMG-TV.
He said he had complained earlier to the neighbor’s wife about the yard waste and that she agreed to remove it. Four hours passed, Decloedt told deputies, and the mess was still there.
Decloedt claimed the neighbor later sent him a message asking him to come over to talk about the dog poop.
He also put the first physical contact on the homeowner, telling deputies the man “shoved him in the doorway” before the fight spilled into the driveway.
Decloedt said the neighbors once had an arrangement that let them walk into each other’s homes without knocking.
The homeowner produced a recording that reportedly challenged that explanation.
The recording showed the homeowner had already told Decloedt he was not allowed on the property or in the house because of the fight over feces, reports said.
Deputies also tried to photograph injuries Decloedt said he got during the scuffle.
Law&Crime reported that he would not let deputies inside his home for the photos and later refused commands to come outside.
Deputies eventually handcuffed him and took him in for questioning.
After he was read his rights, Decloedt agreed to talk and stayed with the same version of the confrontation.
Another neighbor feud, this one in Maine, allegedly went from a midnight threat to a wrecked home, a damaged propane tank and two dogs stuck inside for hours.
Carla and Peter Beaupre said Gary Belanger had already warned them in mid-July that he would run his skidder “through” their Portage Lake home.
The couple said Belanger had shown up at the property in the middle of the night with a flashlight before Peter confronted him later that day.
Maine State Police arrested Belanger then on criminal threatening, disorderly conduct and violating conditions of release.
Weeks later, the Beaupres came back to find their property destroyed.
Belanger, 63, was accused of using a grapple skidder against the home at the beginning of August. The logging machine has a hydraulic claw used to move logs.
The dispute started after the Beaupres refused to let Belanger haul felled logs from nearby land through an access road on their property.
By the time the house was damaged, Belanger was out on bail and facing misdemeanor charges from two earlier incidents involving the Beaupres.
The damage also reached the couple’s shed, truck and a 500-gallon propane tank, authorities said.
WMTW reported that the tank leak kept the family’s two dogs trapped inside the home for hours. The dogs were not injured.
Police later found Belanger on top of the skidder, according to the Bangor Daily News.
Police reported that he was “having hallucinations” while “maliciously destroying” the property.
Belanger has been charged with aggravated criminal mischief, criminal trespass and violating conditions of release.
He was held in Aroostook County Jail on $10,000 bail, despite prosecutors asking for $50,000, according to the outlet.
Belanger is now under 24/7 house arrest and must wear a GPS ankle monitor.
Peter Beaupre told the Bangor Daily News that “the system [was] not protecting the victims.”
Carla Beaupre said the couple had told authorities what Belanger threatened before the home was damaged.
“We told them what he said, and he did exactly what he said he was going to do,” Carla said. “The system failed us.”
Peter said the ruined home still brings him to tears.
“Every time I see it, I cry,” Peter told the Bangor Daily News. “I’m a grown-a– man, and I cry.”
