A man was arrested for bulldozing his neighbor's home in Tipton County, Tennessee, in the midst of an ongoing dispute between the families, Sheriff J.T. Chumley told WHBQ Monday.
A neighbor called emergency officials Saturday morning, and told dispatchers a man was bulldozing down a neighbor’s home.
Edgar McLellan, 57, is charged with trespassing and felony vandalism. Officials said they found debris from the vandalized home in McLellan’s backhoe, and he matched the suspect description neighbors provided.
No one was inside the house when the bulldozer struck it, and no one was injured.
WHBQ visited the neighborhood Monday and found family members surveying the damage
The home’s walls are caved in, exposing furniture to the open air. The backhoe busted pipes, causing water damage inside the house. Flies and pests roam the kitchen floor, which is covered with debris that fell from the ceiling. “There ain’t nothing left,” Sam Higdon said.
Sam Higdon said his brother, John, and John’s teenage children are living in a camper since their home was destroyed.
“It says ‘Private Property, No Trespassing,” Sam Higdon said, as he pointed to signs on the outside of the damaged home. “What’s he doing pushing somebody’s house down? He’s never had a beef with this man.”
While family members say there’s no explanation for the attack, Sheriff Chumley said that McLellan and Higdon had been feuding.
John Higdon, who lives in the damaged home, was arrested a few hours before the bulldozing incident.
John Higdon reported prowlers shining lights into his house last week, and told them he thought the prowlers were McLellan’s employees, deputies said. The Sheriff’s Office received multiple reports of a man shooting into the woods.policeSheriff’s officials said Higdon “indicated there were multiple people hiding in and running from the woods and admitted to shooting into the woods several times.”
John Higdon was charged with reckless endangerment.
“We live in the country,” Sam Higdon said. “Everybody fires weapons out here."
Family members denied the dispute. Sam Higdon said he thinks the McLellans should pay to repair the damaged property.
When asked if he could think of a reason why McLellan would damage the home, Sam Higdon said, “Nope, no reason. Can’t figure it out. We want answers.’"
McLellan and John Higdon are out of jail on bond, waiting to be arraigned in Tipton County Court this week. Investigators said the men may face additional charges.
“I am thankful that no one was injured by either of the men arrested in this neighbors dispute,” Sheriff Chumley said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Tipton County Criminal Investigations Division at 901-475-3300, or email tips to sheriff@tiptonco.com.
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