Town of Le Roy supervisor arrested following alleged incident with neighbor
An ongoing dispute between property owners in Le Roy reportedly became physical this morning and one of the neighbors, Stephen R. Barbeau, the Town of Le Roy supervisor, was arrested by Le Roy PD.
Barbeau, 55, of 9 Filmore St., Le Roy, is charged with harassment, 2nd.
According Barbeau's neighbor, Pete McQuillen, Barbeau was upset because a tree on McQuillen's property fell and Barbeau believed a portion of the tree came down onto his property.
"He bull rushed me and blew me back into some stumps we'd already cut," McQuillen said.
McQuillen suffered a minor sprained shoulder and he said he will see an orthopedic specialist tomorrow about neck pain.
Barbeau said that this was the third time one of McQuillen's trees has fallen onto his property. One time, he said, the tree damaged his house. This morning when it happened again, he went onto McQuillen's property.
"It was quite heated," Barbeau said. "He got heated right back. I pushed him with my hands open on his chest and he fell to the ground."
It was Barbeau's wife who called the police, Barbeau said.
Harassment in the second degree is a violation (in other words, it's not as high as a misdemeanor).
McQuillen and Barbeau live nearby each other, but the ongoing dispute involves property McQuillen owns that is adjacent to Barbeau's.
McQuillen had plans to build 26 single-family homes for people 55 and over on the property.
After McQuillen believed he won the right to move forward with the development, Barbeau joined in a lawsuit with neighbor David S. Boyce against the town planning board claiming the development was not properly approved. The suit eventually lead to McQuillen's plans being scuttled.
McQuillen is now building other structures on the property and that's another point of contention. McQuillen said he's doing everything within code. Barbeau said he is not.
Barbeau also accused McQuillen of storing junk on the propety and clearing away brush and trees that destroy any privacy barrier.
"He's never met a tree he doesn't like to take down," Barbeau said.
Barbeau was arraigned in Town of Le Roy Court and released on his own recognizance. Town Justice Daryl Sehm also signed an order of protection.