Florida Man Carried Out Harassment Campaign Against Gay Neighbors
Sheriff's deputies claim Frank Norviel repeatedly heckled and threatened his neighbors, even telling their son he'd eat the family's cat.
A Florida man has been arrested for allegedly harassing a gay couple who live next to him, even going so far as to menace their children, authorities say.
Frank Norviel, 57, of Leesburg, Florida, is accused of harassing his neighbors and their children as part of a months-long campaign, shining lights on them and shouting anti-gay slurs at them while he stood along the fence dividing their properties or passed by on a bicycle, according to deputies with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Other instances of Norviel’s harassment included an incident in September in which he allegedly screamed “It’s not Adam and Steve” at his neighbors while repeatedly squeaking a rubber chicken. In another incident, Norviel allegedly threatened one of the couple’s children, telling the young boy he would kill the family cat and eat it with teriyaki sauce. When the boy objected, the man told him to “shut up” and suggested he perform sex acts on his parents “like they trained you to do,” according to an affidavit.
The neighbors filed a stalking complaint against Norviel earlier this month due to that repeated harassment, which they claim was due to their sexual orientation. That led a court to grant two temporary injunctions against Norviel, stating that he could ot come within 10 feet of the couple’s vehicles, reports Orlando-area CBS affiliate WKMG.
But the day after the injunction was granted, Norviel allegedly violated the court order, according to deputies, who said he was caught on security camera footage hoistins a pair of dirty underwear above his neighbors’ driveway with a long bamboo pole, and placing a white cross, facing his neighbors’ house, on top of the fence between Norviel’s property and theirs.
On Jan. 10, a Lake County deputy who was canvassing the area saw lights and noises coming from Norviel’s backyard. The deputy claims that when they approached the home to get a better look, Norviel emerged from his house and began screaming at the deputy, accusing them of trespassing as he retreated back into the home.
The deputy identified themselves as law enforcement and grabbed one of Norviel’s arms in order to stop him from barricading himself, according to a charging affidavit. Norviel tried to push away, leading the deputy to grab both of his arms. They fell to the ground and managed to get one handcuff on Norviel before he freed his hand and swung his arm back, with the cuffs leaving bloody lacerations on the deputy’s arm.
The deputy warned Norviel that they would use their Taser if he didn’t stop resisting, but Norviel allegedly wouldn’t calm down, prompting the deputy to taser him before taking him into cusotdy. Norviel currently faces charges of battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence, three counts of resisting an officer without violence.
Due to his violation of the court order stemming from his harassment charges, Norviel has also been charged with two counts of violating an injunction of protection and two counts of aggravated stalking with hate crime enhancements.
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