Notes, Dead Roses and Previous ‘Physical Combat’ Part of Neighbor Dispute

A Statham man claims a “long history” of disputes between his family and a neighbor has resulted in menacing notes and dead rose bushes.

The man called the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office on June 29 after finding a note in his mailbox. The note, which was taped to a plastic bottle, stated “You [expletive deleted] with my side, I [expletive deleted] with your side.”

When asked if he knew who might have written the note, the man said he thought his neighbor was likely responsible. The man explained that his parents, who used to live at the incident location, had been involved in numerous disputes with the neighbor.

“[The man] stated on one occasion his father and [the neighbor] had engaged in physical combat with one another,” the deputy noted in the report. The neighbor was reportedly arrested after that incident.

On another occasion, the man said he discovered some rose bushes he had planted near the end of his drive were dead. According to the man, the neighbor claimed responsibility for killing the rose bushes while speaking with a mutual acquaintance.

The man asked the deputy not to speak with the neighbor because he feared it would only make the situation worse. He instead asked only that the incident be documented. The following day, however, the man called the Sheriff’s Office once more after finding another note -- this time in the bushes.

The note, written on a brown paper bag, read, “You violate my side, I violate your side.”

The deputy attempted to make contact with the neighbor after the second incident.

“After knocking, I could hear multiple dogs barking. All of a sudden the dogs quit barking and I could hear movement inside the residence,” the deputy wrote. “It sounded as if a person was walking around.”

The deputy announced himself but was unable to make contact with the neighbor. The deputy also left a voice message on the neighbor’s answering machine before resuming patrol.

Click here for more Barrow County police and fire news.