Article Courtesy of The
Tamarac Talk
By Kevin Deutsch
Published August 18, 2022
|
A
Tamarac homeowners association president was arrested this month after
authorities said he terrorized multiple neighbors with a gun, hurled racial
epithets at some, and abused his power in the community, court records allege.
Joseph Steckler, 77,
of 8121 NW 100th Ln., is charged with aggravated assault
with a deadly weapon for pointing a gun at a neighbor in May
during a long-running, ongoing dispute with the man,
according to an arrest affidavit filed by the Broward
Sheriff’s Office.
State corporation records filed in June 2022 list Steckler
as president of the Spring Lake Villas Homeowners
Association in Tamarac.
Residents in the community told deputies Steckler abused his
power for years prior to his Aug. 2 arrest on an outstanding
warrant stemming from the aggravated assault case.
In one alleged incident, on Oct. 20, 2021, Steckler left
signs on a neighbor’s property calling the man a “s–c,” a
racial slur against a Hispanic person, then pulled a
handgun, the affidavit states.
In another incident, Steckler allegedly drove by a man’s
house and saw his juvenile son walking their dog.
“Pick up after your dog, you little s—c,” Steckler allegedly
told the boy.
The boy’s father told deputies that his dispute with
Steckler led to his girlfriend, the homeowner, being charged
unreasonable fees by the homeowners association, as well as
receiving orders to comply with draconian actions, like
taking down an American flag. |
|
Joseph Steckler {BSO}
|
According to the affidavit, she also got letters from lawyers requesting
legal fees.
Another neighbor told deputies Steckler, who has a concealed weapons permit,
“constantly” showed his firearm to community residents. The neighbor said
Steckler even pointed a gun at kids trying to jump a fence to access the
community pool.
“Steckler got away with his behavior because of his title and would harass
residents who confronted him,” the neighbor told deputies.
Despite multiple allegations of criminal
activity, Steckler is charged with only the aggravated
battery crime. An earlier charge of cyberstalking was
alleged by BSO but not pursued by prosecutors, records show.
Deputies “asked [multiple residents] to provide sworn
statement[s], but they advised that they did not want to be
involved because of their fear of being attacked by Steckler
and charged with unreasonable homeowner’s association fees,”
the affidavit states.
Records show Steckler was booked into the Broward Main Jail
and released on a $5,000 bond.
He could not immediately be reached for comment Saturday. |
|
Spring Lake Villas in Tamarac
|
|