Man tormented neighbors by broadcasting turkey calls on loudspeakers, Florida cops say

A 50-year-old man is facing a stalking charge after tormenting neighbors with antics that included broadcasting gurgling turkey calls over a loudspeaker, according to investigators in the Florida Panhandle.

The nearly 10-month ordeal came to an end Wednesday, April 24, after the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office tallied 14 complaints, three incident reports and one battery arrest at the suspect’s home, officials said. Wakulla County is in Florida’s Big Bend region, south of Tallahassee.

“The primary contributory underlying issue to much of this on-going matter was that (his) dogs reportedly went onto his neighbor’s property and killed their chickens and turkeys,” the sheriff’s office reported in an April 24 news release.

“Animal Control subsequently set a trap and caught one of his dogs on the neighbor’s property. Thereafter, (he) has been playing loud music or turkey calls over a loudspeaker to annoy his neighbors.”

Turkey calls, according to All About Birds, are best described as “a loud, shrill, descending, throaty jumble of sound.”

Among the complaints registered by the victim were pleas for the suspect “to turn down the loud noises,” officials said.

The arrest came after investigators stopped handling the “continuous complaints” as isolated incidents and started treating them as an ongoing nuisance covered by the Sustained Solutions Program, officials said. Records show the calls began June 20, 2023, and continued through April 5, 2024.

“It was determined that (the suspect) has engaged in a course of conduct directed at his neighbor which has caused substantial emotional distress and serves no legitimate purpose,” officials said.

An arrest warrant was issued April 12 charging the suspect “with the stalking of his neighbor” and he was arrested 12 days later “after deputies made repeated attempts to locate him,” officials said.

This story was originally published April 26, 2024 at 1:09 PM.