For TikToker Cannon (@cannonwheatcroft_lee), a disagreement with her homeowners’ association quickly escalated into accusations of surveillance, police reports, and mysterious trail cameras hidden around the neighborhood.
So, Cannon found out that a neighbor and HOA board member’s security camera was pointed directly at her home so they could see her front door, her address, and everything else.
This happened after Cannon and her husband received a photo of themselves in the mail, taking their dog out to go to the bathroom on their front lawn without a leash on, which is against their HOA’s bylaws.
They paid the fine, no problem, but they were upset about their neighbor’s camera being pointed at their house like that. She and her husband confronted the neighbor and told her to stop recording her home because it was illegal.
Some yelling occurred, and the neighbor asked multiple times if Cannon was threatening her, which, of course, she was not. Afterward, she sent an email to her HOA requesting an investigation into the neighbor’s security camera and that she reposition the camera so it no longer captures Cannon’s front door, window, or any other private area of her home.
“We cite the exact law in our state which says you cannot observe, photograph, or record activities of another person in a private place without their consent,” said Cannon.
“This includes front door, interior windows, reasonable expectation of privacy, and then we cite the by-laws in our HOA that says they have to abide by the law.”
The HOA responded and told her that this was a situation between private owners. She called the non-emergency line, and a police officer came out to oversee the situation.
The officer said that the neighbor’s house was diagonal to hers, and the direction of her security camera was intentional because it was pointed directly at Cannon’s house instead of straight across.
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She used the police report to update her email thread with the HOA. At that point, it had been 10 days, and the camera still hadn’t been moved.
“The next day, in the mail, I get a cease and desist letter that says I screamed at and threatened board members for doing their board duties, and that collecting evidence for enacting fines is part of their duties, and that it’s in our contract,” said Cannon.
Also, the HOA’s lawyers are representing her neighbor, which seems like a conflict of interest. Later, Cannon’s other neighbor texted her, saying that all their other neighbors had found a hidden, hunter-level trail camera behind their homes.
Now, a lot of neighbors are looking into how to unseat these HOA board members from their positions.
Cannon helped her neighbors file a police report about the hunting camera. The same officer came out to take a look. Unfortunately, the hunting cameras could not be removed because they were personal property and weren’t facing anyone’s windows.
The police recommended covering the cameras with tape or loosening the straps to find a name and phone number because these types of cameras required contact information.
The neighbors decided to reach out to management and ask about the trail cameras. The only response they got was that the cameras had been there for a long time and belonged to the association.
Cannon’s husband wrote back a long email, asking for more details and emphasizing that it’s not in their contract to be secretly filmed.
The HOA claimed that there was an issue with pet waste in the area, which was untrue because all the neighbors cleaned up after their pets. A few days later, the trail cam went missing.
The HOA claimed that it was pointed toward the pathway behind one of the buildings, but it was mounted too high to catch any footage. Apparently, it also did not have a SIM card in it.
Cannon has finally contacted some law firms in the area to better understand her options. Hopefully, the problem will be resolved soon.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
