Florida HOA vice president chased door-to-door sales reps, rammed their vehicle: Affidavit
HOA vice president arrested after alleged van-ramming incident
A vice president of a Lake County homeowners association has been arrested after authorities say he chased a window company employee through a neighborhood and rammed the worker's van during a confrontation over alleged door-to-door soliciting.
LEESBURG, Fla. - The vice president of a Florida homeowners association was arrested after he allegedly chased a door-to-door salesperson through his neighborhood and then drove his truck into the middle of the street, blocking their vehicle, according to the arrest report.
The alleged incident happened at The Plantation neighborhood in Leesburg, a 55-and-up gated community, the report said
The backstory:
According to the arrest affidavit, a window installation company was performing work at a home in the neighborhood. As part of their business strategy, they sent one of their employees to go door-to-door in the neighborhood to offer estimates.
An employee knocked on the door of a home, which happened to belong to 71-year-old Gerald Tucker, the vice president of The Plantation homeowners association. He was not happy that the employee was soliciting in the neighborhood and apparently threatened to call law enforcement, the report said.
The worker tried to leave and called his manager to ask that he be picked up, the report said.
According to the report, Tucker got into his truck and began following the worker down the street in the neighborhood, which forced the worker to go from a walk to a run. That worker was picked up in a van, but Tucker allegedly drove his truck diagonally across the street and in front of the van, preventing them from leaving. At some point, he crashed into their van, the report said.
Tucker was later arrested and booked into jail on charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He was released on a $10,000 bond.
HOA: We support VP during ‘unfortunate and unintended’ confrontation
What they're saying:
Russ Roberson, president of the Plantation at Leesburg HOA, told FOX 35 that it was aware of the incident and was working with its attorneys and law enforcement. Roberson also told FOX 35 that Tucker remained part of the HOA board.
"We have confidence in our fellow board member, Jerry Tucker. It is important to consider the full context of the incident, including Jerry's attempt to respond to the presence of unauthorized solicitors on private HOA property, and Jerry's objective of protecting the community's interest. While the situation ultimately resulted in an outcome that was both unfortunate and unintended, it should not overshadow Jerry's commitment to serving the community," he said.
FOX 35's attempts to reach Tucker for comment were unsuccessful.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and The Plantation at Leesburg HOA president.