OCALA - A simmering dispute between residents of Cherrywood Estates and the subdivision's developers boiled over at a homeowners' meeting Thursday night, leading to the arrest of two men who allegedly tried to assault the developer's representative.

Ronald Torrusio, 59, was charged with aggravated assault after witnesses told sheriff's deputies he raised a chair as if to strike Robert Hunt Jr. A second man, Robert J. Carlson, 82, was charged with battery for allegedly choking Hunt during the meeting at Queen of Peace Catholic Church on State Road 200.

"He (Hunt) said I grabbed him by the throat and tried to choke him . . . I did not choke him," Carlson said Friday.

Carlson was released from jail early Friday on $500 bond, and Torrusio was released on $5,000 bond.

The homeowners were meeting to discuss what to do about a recent crackdown on deed restrictions in Cherrywood by developers Mario and John Zacco that has resulted in hundreds of allegations of deed restriction violations.

Carlson said the meeting was for homeowners only and that Hunt, the project manager for Cherrywood Estates, had no right to be there.

Hunt said he had been told about the meeting by Cherrywood homeowners and that he had no reason to believe he wasn't welcome.

"When I went there, I walked in with some homeowners," he said. "There was absolutely no indication it was a private meeting."

The meeting had been going on for about half an hour when Carlson spotted Hunt in the audience, Carlson said.

"I walked down the aisle, and I said 'Rob, what are you doing here? This is a private meeting,' " Carlson said. "I tapped him on the shoulder, and I said 'Rob, get out of here.' "

Hunt and several homeowners who witnessed the altercation told deputies Carlson grabbed Hunt by the throat, and that Torrusio raised a chair as if to strike Hunt. Deputies later noted that Hunt had an abrasion consistent with being grabbed around the neck.

As a crowd gathered around the men, Geraldine Kolberg grabbed Hunt by the arm and ushered him out of the building. Another woman dialed 911, handed her cell phone to Hunt and had him get into her car outside the church, according to Sheriff's Office reports.

Torrusio declined to talk about the specifics of the alleged incident Friday, saying his lawyer had told him not to discuss the matter. But he did say he had never attended a Cherrywood homeowners' meeting before.

"I never get into any of it," he said. "It's the first meeting I went to, and I'm sorry I went."

Emotions have run high in Cherrywood Estates since the developers cracked down on alleged violations of deed restrictions last month. Cherrywood residents say they are caught in the middle of a family legal battle among the community's developers.

Chris Zacco was the president of the company that developed Cherrywood Estates until he was forced out by his brother John Zacco and their father Mario Zacco last year. Chris Zacco has sued his father and brother, saying they have mismanaged the development. Mario and John Zacco have countersued, accusing Chris Zacco of embezzling money from the company.

Kolberg and her husband erected a fence in their back yard in 2001. They recently received a notice that it violates the development's deed restrictions.

"I don't know what to do, to take down the fence, or keep it up, or what," she said.

Deputies estimated 150 people attended Thursday's meeting, and noted that several began yelling at deputies, saying Hunt didn't belong there.

Hunt said Friday he went to the meeting to try to get a sense of what the homeowners were upset about.

"I went down there with the intent of listening, finding out what the homeowners' issues were . . . The folks that seemed to be telling everyone about the problem areas weren't talking to us, or weren't talking to Johnny (Zacco)," he said.