'Stay off my lawn'

PUT-IN-BAY — A neighborhood dispute turned violent Saturday. A screenshot of the video footage from a neighbor's home capturing a neighborhood dispute that occurred on Put-in-Bay on July 3. Screenshot Police charged a man with two counts of assault, both misdemeanors, after officers were called to a home on Chapman Road shortly after noon. They arrested the man after getting witness statements and seeing video of the incident, according to a police report. The video appears to show a man walking with two children and two dogs past the home. The suspect approaches the victim, pushing him to the ground and knocking down one of the children with him. The victim picks up the child after getting up but is struck again by the suspect. Both the victim and child received treatment for injuries from paramedics on scene. The suspect was released shortly after he was taken into custody. The Register normally doesn't identify individuals charged with just misdemeanors. Jimmy Dubbert, a neighbor who provided the video and posted it at a social network site, said the Lang family, including former police chief Jim Lang and his wife, Nancy, has caused numerous issues in the neighborhood over the past few years. Dubbert said the Langs take issue with dogs being in their yard. "Nancy has a thing with dogs," he said. "If you walk a dog past their property...It keeps escalating." Dubbert said he spoke with other neighbors and said there was concern the suspect, identified as a guest in Lang's home, was released immediately and allowed to return to the residence. "He sat out in the front yard. How can you do something like that and be put back out there?" Dubbert asked. "The entire neighborhood is in an uproar. It's gotten out-of-hand." Jim Lang was on his porch when the incident happened, Dubbert said. Jim Lang, however, maintained that he did not come outside until after the incident occurred. "It was in front of my house, but I had nothing to do with it. I did not witness it, I didn't see or hear anything until it had already taken place," Jim Lang told the Register. "I didn't talk to the police officers. It's none of my business." He did acknowledge he can be seen on Dubbert's video, toward the end, but also said other video shows a different perspective. He also acknowledged his wife and the victim had words but said she and his family were being harassed. "They're just trying to give me a bad name," Jim Lang said. They have asked the neighbors to keep their dogs off the property for at least three years, Jim Lang said. "I have a neighbor who keeps walking his dog in my yard. My wife and I have told him not to walk the dog in our yard," he said. "He did. My wife saw it and told him to keep it out of my yard, but things escalated from there." Later on Saturday his home and vehicle were vandalized, Jim Lang said, and he made a police report. "They threw rocks at my house, broke my car window and threatened me," Lang said. "We are thinking of selling our house. I don't need this type of harassment." Put-in-Bay police Chief Jim Kimble confirmed a complaint was filed later on Saturday by Jim Lang reporting the vandalism. "This is a beautiful place to live, unfortunately, people are taking out their issues on each other," Kimble said. "Stop making trouble in paradise."