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Sheriff urges 'soft approach' to Tanglewood gate reactivation, warns of prosecution for criminal damage
Summary
Sheriff James Haines told the commission board members of Tanglewood reported Facebook threats to tear down gates; he recommended staged notices and activation to ease transition but said cameras and prosecution would be used if gates were vandalized.
Sheriff James Haines updated the commission about concerns raised by Tanglewood's board president over social-media posts in which individuals threatened to damage recently reinstalled gates. Haines said his advice to the board was to use a "soft approach": send letters, provide residents with swipe cards, and activate gates after a notice period to allow people to obtain functioning cards. He suggested members could stand by gates on the first activation day to help residents with any malfunctions.
At the same time, Haines told commissioners that if individuals physically tampered with the gates the county would pursue criminal charges. He noted the community has robust camera coverage at the gate area and that law enforcement would use video evidence to identify and prosecute criminal damage if it occurs.
Commissioners asked procedural questions about ownership and access; Haines observed that private road ownership and restricted access change the enforcement context from previous incidents.
