A long-running dispute over decorative landscaping rock erupted into a pepper-spray confrontation in an affluent Arizona community, sending a homeowners association board member to the hospital.
Lonnie Muto, a director of the Scottsdale Mountain Community Association, confronted neighbors David Creed and Sheila Janisch on August 6 near 136th Street and East Via Linda Road in North Scottsdale.
According to a police report obtained by The Arizona Republic, Muto was driving with his wife, Jane, when he stopped and got out carrying pepper spray. He believed the couple had thrown an object at their vehicle.
The dispute soon became physical, and Creed and Janisch were also exposed to the spray during the encounter.
Muto was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, while Creed and Janisch later recovered from the effects of the pepper spray, according to the report.
Police recommended assault charges against Muto, but he was not arrested.
Four days later, on August 10, a Scottsdale City Court judge issued an order of protection against him. The records do not make clear whom the order was intended to protect.
The remarkable confrontation represents the latest escalation in a neighborhood feud that has continued for years and began with a seemingly ordinary question: which types of rock homeowners may use in their front yards.
A dispute over landscaping rock has escalated into a pepper-spray street confrontation in an affluent Arizona neighborhood, leaving one homeowners association director hospitalized
The conflict began in 2020, when Janisch changed the landscaping at her home, reportedly to address water damage.
In a 2024 lawsuit, Janisch and Creed alleged that the Scottsdale Mountain Community Association, its board members and Jane Muto retaliated against them because of the work.
The couple said they were singled out for using gray riprap and Table Mesa brown rock, despite claiming that other residents had installed similar materials without receiving the same level of scrutiny.
The association’s design rules prohibit river-run rock in front yards and require homeowners to obtain approval from its architectural committee before making landscaping changes.
The rules also limit decomposed granite to three approved colors: Madison Gold, Desert Gold and Desert Tan.
What started as a landscaping disagreement eventually grew into a far-reaching legal battle.
In their lawsuit, Janisch and Creed accused the association and the other defendants of threatening foreclosure proceedings, defaming them, disabling their electronic gate access, withholding HOA records and conducting closed executive sessions without adequate notice.
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Under the association’s gate policy, access transmitters can be disabled when residents violate the rules. Restoring access requires a $250 payment for each transmitter, in addition to any fines.
Scottsdale Mountain is a guard-gated community of roughly 700 properties nestled in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains
The feud intensified again in 2025, when an anonymous letter was reportedly distributed to about 700 homeowners as Janisch ran for a position on the HOA board.
The lawsuit says the letter accused the couple’s legal complaint of containing multiple false claims and suggested Janisch sought a board seat so she could erase fines and sanctions imposed against her.
The association has denied the allegations, saying it expects the evidence to show that it acted in accordance with its governing documents and Arizona law.
Chuck Oldham, an association representative and attorney, said the board knew about the police report but declined to comment on the confrontation at that time.
He said the board would not address specific claims while the lawsuit was ongoing. Creed, meanwhile, was advised by his attorney not to comment.
The dispute highlights broader tensions surrounding homeowners associations throughout Arizona, where disagreements over property standards, assessments and enforcement can turn neighbors into legal opponents.
Dennis Legere, founder of the Arizona Homeowners Coalition, told The Arizona Republic that HOA conflicts are widespread across the Phoenix-area Valley. In some cases, he said, associations have brought security personnel or police officers to meetings.
Arizona law establishes requirements for HOA meetings and access to certain records, although disclosure obligations vary depending on the circumstances.
Scottsdale Mountain is far from a typical suburban subdivision. The guard-gated community includes about 700 properties in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains.Â
Listings from Williams Luxury Homes show properties priced from roughly $1.9 million to nearly $3.5 million. Many of the larger custom residences feature sweeping desert views, swimming pools and sizable lots.Â
The community also offers tennis facilities and convenient access to hiking trails, helping make it a desirable destination for buyers seeking high-end living in the Arizona desert.Â
The Scottsdale Mountain association has separately pursued lawsuits over unpaid assessments, including a case involving a property owner that ended with an appeals court ruling in the association’s favor.
For the residents involved in the latest clash, however, the conflict has moved far beyond architectural reviews and disagreements about decorative stone.
A dispute that began with the appearance of a front yard has now reached the street, adding pepper spray, a hospital visit and a court protection order to the latest chapter of the years-long neighborhood feud.
