More threats in fight over walking dog without leash

Robert Wirth Jr. of Tarpon Springs has threatened to kill his neighbors if he loses his home. Thursday, he went on national TV and made similar threats and showed off his gun collection. For six years, he has been embroiled in a foreclosure suit that stemmed from a fine for walking his dog, Cole, without a leash — a violation of the rules of the River Watch Homeowners Association.

Wirth, who claimed his court battle cost him $150,000, said he'll go to drastic lengths to save his home. "I'm going to use deadly force against board members, and I have the guns to do it," Wirth, 52, told Inside Edition, according to the show's Web site.

Last month, he also told the St. Petersburg Times he would shoot and kill one of the board members if things didn't go his way. Wirth's comments were reported to the Tarpon Springs Police Department, which followed up, and said the threat didn't appear imminent then.

Peter Conner, the husband of one of the board members, said Wirth "should be taken seriously." "The police should really look into this guy before he does harm someone or himself," Conner, 51, said.

Read the full St. Petersburg Times story here.

-- Lorri Helfhand, Times Staff Writer

What's a clear view worth?

How much would you pay to have your neighborhood power lines buried? In Winter Park, where the city has started burying lines, residents can speed the process up by chipping in $3,000 to $6,000 per household. But retired businessman Steve Goldman decided to really speed the process up in his neighborhood by footing the entire $100,000 himself, according to OrlandoSentinel.com.