A Clermont man was arrested for allegedly stalking his neighbor after continuously taking photos of her and her home to post alongside insults on Facebook.
On Nov. 6, 2023, the female victim called the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to complain about 67-year-old Joseph Charles Holloway. He had been photographing her home and twice turned her in to the City of Minneola Code Enforcement for her property and violating city ordinances, according to an affidavit of probable cause out of Lake County.
The victim called three days later to complain about Holloway being on private property and harassing her. She called again on Dec. 7, 2023, to say he constantly came by her property yelling things at her and would not stop. It escalated in almost a week’s time when on Dec. 12, 2023, she called to report him calling and texting her all day. He drove by her house, took photographs and posted them on Facebook to complain about her violating city ordinances and saying her house looked like a dump, the affidavit said.
The victim’s niece called the same day to inform the LCSO that her aunt was upset by the harassment. She feared Holloway because he pulled a gun on his neighbor in the past, the affidavit said.
The complaints continued when on Dec. 15, 2023, the victim called to say she was still being harassed by Holloway. On Dec. 8, 2023, he posted many pictures of her, her house and her professional business profile on a Facebook page run by him. He labeled her on the photographs as “a sick individual” and “a crackpot,” the affidavit said.
The victim stated Holloway lied and said things about her that were not true about having code violations. He called her personal cellphone and sent her multiple texts threatening to sue regarding an undisclosed situation where she ultimately resigned from a volunteer position. He also drove by her house photographing her, cursing at her and giving her the middle finger, the report said.
Holloway posted pictures of the victim’s aunt on Facebook with derogatory comments about her being unstable, as well. He posted the personal information, cellphone number, address and name of an undisclosed person on Facebook. He also called someone a total idiot, the affidavit said.
The victim tried to get an injunction on Dec. 14, 2023, but was denied. However, the harassment was creating emotional distress, the affidavit said.
On May 4, 2024, the victim called the LCSO and advised that Holloway drove by her home again, giving her the middle finger. A short time later, he was standing in front of her home taking more photographs or filming her, the affidavit said.
She became upset and cussed at the deputy, telling him nobody helped her and that if “this guy” killed her, it was the LCSO’s fault. She also stated she filed a complaint with the State Attorney’s Office, and they declined to prosecute. She said she just wanted Holloway to quit stalking her before hanging up on the deputy, the affidavit said.
On Aug. 11, 2024, the victim called once more and told another deputy about her harassment situation. She advised that over the past several months, she had ongoing problems with her neighbor, Holloway. He constantly videotaped and took pictures of her while she was in her yard working. On some of these occasions, he had taken photos of her in her backyard, the affidavit said.
The victim said that on many occasions, it was alleged Holloway filed multiple Homeowners Association complaints against her. He posted things about her private business and posted several negative comments, which hurt her business. She filed a report several months ago and took it to the State Attorney’s Office, but they refused to prosecute, the affidavit said.
The victim also tried to obtain an injunction for protection against Holloway, and it was denied by the court. She was extremely distraught and shaken by the continued harassment. She kept showing signs of fear when she would say that she was afraid of him, including teary eyes, shaking and broken speech as she recalled the incidents, the affidavit said.
The victim further stated Holloway had texted and called her multiple times. Every time she told him not to call or text back, but he still did, the affidavit said.
The deputy subsequently reviewed several of the Facebook posts by Holloway, and he did make multiple comments about the victim’s mental health, the affidavit said. He said she was crazy and needed mental health. On one of the posts, which included a photo of her, he wrote, “Someone needs to get (victim’s name) psychological help before she goes over the edge of a cliff, and no one will be able to save her.”
In another post, Holloway posted multiple photos of the victim and stated, “This is (victim’s name) and what a pathological liar looks like. (Victim’s name) is a very disturbed individual that keeps trying to create problems for me and fails every time because…” The photograph cut off at that point. He also posted other homes and properties he believed were violations, the affidavit said.
On Thursday, Jan. 16, the deputy met with Holloway at his residence, located at 1048 Arbor Hill Cir., Clermont. He admitted the Facebook site with posts about the victim was his, and he also admitted to making the posts, the affidavit said.
The deputy politely asked Holloway to leave the victim alone, as he had seen the Facebook page. He explained that he knew Holloway had the right to post some stuff, but there was a line that should not be crossed. That was what he was investigating, the affidavit said.
On Saturday, Holloway made several posts on his Facebook page where he wrote about several mentally ill and paranoid persons that should seek mental health counseling. If they did not have deed restriction violations, they would not be so paranoid. He then went on to talk about the victim as a person that was on the board for about two weeks so she could use the board attorney for her personal vengeance against other residents. He also stated she looked pretty pathetic and mentally unstable, the affidavit said.
Holloway then wrote that the victim had filed another report against a homeowner for stalking. This referred to the deputy coming out to talk and informing him of the stalking report on Jan. 16. He went on to speak negatively of the victim and say he had better things to do than stalk her.
Holloway also referred to the victim as “scum” for living there for 27 years. He wrote the post was not direct at anybody, “but if the shoe fits wear it Cinderella.” He went on to make four other posts defending why he was doing this, the affidavit said.
On Sunday, Holloway made several posts on his Facebook page referring to the law of stalking versus how bad someone’s property looks. He said, “Only a deranged mind like (victim’s name) confuses pictures of her badly cared for property with stalking.” He also stated that even a dog would be interested in stalking the victim, the affidavit said.
Holloway mentioned the victim by name and wrote that he was bringing attention to her property for different entities so they knew she was violating deed restrictions, the affidavit said. She said she could fix them herself and ended it by saying she had “a few loose screws.”
Holloway’s next post stated the victim went out of her way to read his posts then called the police, saying she was the one stalking him. He made a comment about how her “head must be spinning just like the girl in the Exorcist,” and she was an example of human waste that could “walk, talk and lie…as long as it fits her narrative.” He posted a cartoon about truth with the victim’s name and address that same day, the affidavit said.
In another post, Holloway again referenced the victim by name and address while writing about violations she was getting away with. He also made two other posts without naming her, the affidavit said.
From Dec. 19, 2023, through Jan. 20, 2025, Holloway referred to the victim as the stupidest of individuals, mentally ill, a nut job, a delusional individual, a pathological liar, trash, crazy, chicken lady and an idiot of the highest degree. He posted her address, phone number and name as well as pictures of her house, front yard and backyard from public access. He also stated she had mental illness, an unstable mental condition, a scream like a wolf and an emotional support chicken that he made fun of, the affidavit said.
On Jan. 18, just two days after the deputy spoke to Holloway, the victim reported that he drove by her house, yelled at her and shot her the middle finger. She could not determine exactly what he said. A short time later, he came by a second time, waved at a neighbor and shot her the bird again, the affidavit said.
Holloway was ultimately arrested at his home Tuesday evening by the LCSO on a warrant charging him with stalking (cyber). The Virginia native was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $5,000 bond.