CUSTER COUNTY — Court documents are shedding light on the details of a property dispute at the center of the deadly Custer County shooting that investigators say was brewing for years.
The land at the center of the property battle is owned by Herbal Garden Wellness. This non-profit describes itself as a rehabilitation services center for those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, court documents said.
The suspect in the shooting, Hanme Clark, 45, stayed on the property. He worked full-time as a caregiver for an epileptic volunteer of the organization who lived there.
Nearly as soon as the land was donated to Herbal Garden Wellness, court records indicate the organization had issues with its neighbors. It learned of an easement on its land, established in 2016, allowing its neighbors to cross its property line to access their land on Rocky Ridge Road.
The shooting victims' properties bordered Herbal Garden Wellness' land. Property owned by James and Patty Daulton was to the south, land owned by Robert Geers and Beth Wade to the east, and another neighbor, Steven Coppola bordered the land to the west.
In 2020, Herbal Garden Wellness filed a civil suit alleging that Coppola did not have the right to use the easement after voluntarily dismissing himself from the decision in 2016. The court documents allege that Coppola threatened Clark and the woman he cared for while knowing her condition was exacerbated by stress. Coppola was named in the suit along with two other neighbors and a family trust.
Documents charging Clark with three counts of first-degree murder, assault, criminal attempt, and attempted first-degree murder say witnesses told investigators Clark began shooting when he saw Robert Geers approaching the property line with a property assessor, screaming that Geers was trespassing.
"We have deputies go to those [property dispute] calls every day. We've been to this, this suspect's house several times," said Sheriff Rich Smith of Custer County during a press conference after the shooting.
The civil suit between the neighbors is still going through the court system.
Related: Three victims identified in deadly shooting in Custer County, suspect in custody
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