Story Archive

Can They Do That?

Swapna Mandavia, 36, was watching some fireworks from a pier when the chairman of her homeowner’s association’s Fine and Hearing Violations Committee told her it was after hours and she had to leave. He was armed. “Mandavia began to leave the pier when [Howard] Fox raised the gun and pointed it at Mandavia and said she was doing something illegal,” a police report says. It was when she noticed him pointing the weapon in her direction again that she dialed 911. Fox, 47, told police he was authorized to enforce his Orlando, Fla., HOA’s rules, and that he goes out on the grounds with a pistol and a rifle to hunt animals. Nevertheless, police interpreted his actions as crimes — openly carrying a firearm and aggravated assault with a firearm — and arrested him. According to the police report, Hamptons Community Association manager Diana Washburn said Fox’s authority was to document violations, not to approach people with guns. (AC/Orlando Sentinel) ...You can’t wave a gun at people for standing on a pier after hours unless your HOA explicitly says so.