Maine Man Saws Neighbor’s Garage In Half
According to the Bangor Daily News, Dover-Foxcroft's Gabriel Brawn used a land surveyor’s demarcation between the two lots as a guide to remove the half of the building sitting on his land.
Brawn and his wife own the house at 140 Grove Street. The neighbor's house, and following the incident, 1/2 of a garage, sit at 148 Grove Street.
The incident happened on the day after Memorial Day this year, was the final act in a series of disputes that had gone on for several years.
Gabriel and Tracy Brawn returned to Dover-Foxcroft in 2012, taking up residence in the home where Gabriel had grown up. They got along well with their neighbors until the passing of Steve Ritter in 2016. At that time, Ritter's wife became the sole owner of the house. She rarely lived there, but there were frequent renters and other family members living in the house. For years, the Brawns had a strained relationship with the neighbors.
The dispute went on for years. At one point, in an attempt to end the ongoing battles, the Brawns tried to buy their neighbor's house. The attempt was unsuccessful.
The situation came to a head in April when an argument between the neighbors prompted Brawn to call a surveyor. The surveyor found that property line ran down the driveaway (and garage) of 148 Grove Street.
Following the determination, the son of the deceased former owner of 148 Grove Street (Ritter) allegedly started smashing things and throwing trasf. That was when Brawn had had enough and decided to use a Sawzall to cut the garage in half.
The Brawns are planning to put a fence up between the properties.
According to police, the incident has been resolved.