Property Invasion, Damages, Trespass My neighbor assaulted me.

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columbianna

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I live in Georgia and own my own property (a little over 6 acres). About 3 weeks ago, I discovered that my neighbor had a dog house and a rusted old metal can full of burned trash sitting on my property. I also saw them shooting a rifle on my property in the direction of my house where my son plays at and I have horses at. The portion of my property in question comes to within about 30-40 feet of their back door. Since I purchased my property 3 years ago, it has really grown up. So much so, that I can't really see much of that part of my property that is basically in their back yard. I never go over there. I haven't had any need to do so until recently. I am about to fence in my property and that is why I went over there. I go over and get ready to put a corner post in the ground and see this trash and an old doghouse there on my property. So I go to their front door and speak with an older woman who is the mother of the woman who owns the property. I ask if the dog house and the garbage are theirs. I was polite to her but this lady never smiled at me and seemed to be rather unfriendly. So I ask her to please move the dog house (she claimed the trash wasn't theirs) because I was about to fence in my property. She said they would. These people have lived there for 11 years. The next day, I go back over there to finish setting posts and to see if they moved the dog house and garbage. No, they had not been moved. So, I called the police, they came out and I told the office the situation. He said he couldn't do much for me as it is a property dispute but he would go to the door and ask them to move their trash and stuff from my property. I told him never mind about that if there was nothing that could be done other than me taking it up in court against my neighbors, and the officer said he would advise me to start putting up the fence and then ask them one more time if they want the doghouse to get it and if they say no, just move it myself. I told the officer that I didn't want to cause problems between me and the neighbors even though I don't know them. I started cleaning it up myself. So yesterday, I was speaking to the previous owner of my property who is also the same person who sold my neighbors the house that they are living in. He said he had seen them burning the trash on my property. They had already said the dog house was theirs. I go over there today, knock on the door, and a lady about 30-something answers the door. I ask if she is (her name). She says yeah. I start to tell her that I came by about 3 weeks ago to ask that they move their trash and dog house. This lady is acting really hostile towards me. She interrupts and says, "Yeah, I know you came here and asked my mom to move the dog house. And that trash isn't ours! I know you called the cops on me the next day!" I said, "I didn't call the cops on you. I just called them to see what, if anything, I could get done about the problem seeing as how you have had the stuff on my property for who knows how long and haven't tried to move it!." I said, "I could have had them come to your door and say something, but I told them I didn't want to cause any problems between us!" She told me that I would have to move it myself and shut the door in my face. So, I went and picked up the garbage can that I had started putting all of that trash in 3 weeks ago (lots of broken glass, rotten garbage, rusted metal, beer cans) and I walked 2 feet past my property line over to her property, upended it and dumped it out on her property. Then I went over to the dog house, started pulling it apart and I slung it over on to her property. I was pretty mad. I mean, these people have the nerve to trash myproperty and then get mad because I want them to clean it up! Not only that, but she was mad because I called the police to see what I should do about the situation. I don't have the money to hire an attorney, so I felt this might help fix the situation. I don't understand people! How can people act this way and not think, "How would I feel if this were done to me"? I should mention at this point that I really believe they think they can do whatever they want to and get away with it because she is a 911 dispatcher and her husband is a narcotics officer. So after I dumped that stuff, I got even madder and made a mistake. I went back to her door and knocked on it and said, "It's not right that ya'll put that stuff on my property and then won't clean it up!" She came to the door, opened it and said something about that stuff not belonging to her and if I want it moved, then I'll have to clean it myself. Then she told me she worked as a 911 dispatcher for 12 f**king hours a day and something about not getting out there to clean it up. Then she told me she wanted me off her property. I said, "No, you need to get that stuff off my property. Then she said, "You've got 2 seconds to get off my property or I'm gonna stomp a mudhole in your a**! So, I said, "Do it!" She smirked at me and then shoved me backwards. I stepped back to her and then she grabbed me by my hair and started punching me in the face. I grabbed her hair and started punching her back. That went on for about a minute. Then we both stopped hitting each other. I said, "I can't believe you are acting like this!" She said, "Me? You're the one who assaulted me." I said, "You're lying!" "I came over to talk to you calmly about this and you start hitting me!" Then she said, "Get off my property." I told her I was leaving. When the police got there, they took my report and the officer asked me what I wanted to do as far as prosecution, what I wanted to have happen here. I told him I didn't want to prosecute her as long as she didn't want to prosecute me, 'cause I know where that leads to! He said the police don't arrest people in cases like this unless they are witnessed by the police or in the case of a domestic situation and if I want to prosecute her I would have to go to magistrate court and swear out a warrant for her arrest. The officer said I had done the right thing by contacting them the first time. But I can't help thinking, was I really right? Or should I have just cleaned it up and tried to forget about what they had done? I am really sorry about how long this is but I wanted to include as much as I could to give a real good picture of things. Any advice on what I should do? I am a single mom with two children. No family or friends here in Georgia. I really don't want to go to jail but I feel like these people think they can walk all over anyone they want to. They have done similar things to the man who sold them their house and his property is right next to mine and theirs. If she swears out a warrant for me, I have the right to do the same to her don't I? What about if we were to go to court? It would be my word against hers on who started it. Any advice or help is greatly appreciated!
 
Press charges. She and her husband work as authorities, and she should be held to a higher standard then a normal citizen.

As far as what should you have done? You can't go backwards, so it doesn't matter.
 
As my stepsister would say, "Can you say it shorter?"

Yeah, I didn't read it all, but I am certain you are describing our situation.

We have neighbor/property line problems, too. We have both one neighbor trying to use/take some of our property, and we are also in the situation of the neighbor you are having problems with, there being a large tract of mostly-neglected land behind us that the owner just recently decided to strut their stuff about, after it has been unkempt for many years.

Those who have owned our house have kept up the 30-foot strip behind us, contiguous to our property line for years, probably 30 or 40. It's a utility company easement and they recently came through and clear-cut it.

The neighbor behind has made no effort to mark their property and the only fence is a very old woven wire one on the other side of the easement, 30-feet from our property line.

The deputy here said the same thing, that they cannot get involved in property line disputes; that is a civil matter. He said there is no trespassing if there is a property line dispute.

These are ugly matters escalated by hateful people, so there is no easy solution, a solution likely not being a solution when all is said and done.

If I were you, I would get a new survey of that property line and have the surveyor mark intermediate points. Then put up your fence.
 
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Oh yeah, I have been assaulted by a neighbor, too, a couple of times.

In some jurisdictions that is considered freedom of speech. :D
 
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