Ethan nodded. “Yeah. It was on the property line. We’re improving the landscaping.”
“It was his fence,” I said. “On my property. He had no right to touch it.”
The officer looked uncomfortable. “Do you have proof of ownership?”
I pulled out my phone. Showed him photos of the fence. Receipts from the lumber yard. Photos of me building it.
The officer nodded. “Okay. This is destruction of property. Civil matter, mostly. You’ll need to file a claim.”
“What about criminal charges?”
“You could try. But since it’s a property line dispute, most prosecutors won’t pursue it. Your best bet is small claims court.”
I filed in small claims. Sued for the cost of materials, labor, and replacement.
The hearing was set for six weeks out.
In the meantime, I had no fence. No privacy. No barrier keeping Daisy in the yard.
Ethan’s kids started using my yard like it was theirs. Running through. Leaving toys. Trampling my garden.
When I asked Ethan to keep them on his side, he said, “There’s no fence. How are they supposed to know where the line is?”
The small claims hearing finally arrived.
I presented my evidence. Photos. Receipts. Testimony about building the fence myself.
Ethan’s lawyer argued that the fence was “a shared boundary structure” and that Ethan had a right to remove it for landscaping purposes.
The judge wasn’t buying it.
