RINGGOLD, Ga. – At the end of a dirt path, in the final steps of civilized society, Dr. Tai Federico’s family found a man on a four-wheeler, waiting for them.
Kyle Moreno, whose own family has controlled this particular stretch of Taylor’s Ridge for generations, didn’t believe Federico had a right to be there.
Sure, Federico and his father-in-law bought this property six months earlier, in November 2012. But their 18 acres sat beyond the edge of Taylor’s Ridge Road. To get there, they had to cross the dirt path.
And the dirt path sat on land owned by Moreno’s grandparents. Federico didn’t have an easement, Moreno said. He was landlocked out.
Moreno had tried unsuccessfully to get Federico’s attention before, whenever the Chattanooga veterinarian swung by to admire his purchase – his potential weekend getaway in the woods. So this time, in May 2013, Moreno blocked Federico’s family behind his grandparents’ gate. Moreno’s wife called 911.