Parkland, Florida, father facing local harassment charges rejects settlement

Published 12:30 pm Thursday, February 22, 2024

An Eagle Point man who became a public school safety advocate after his daughter was killed in the 2018 Parkland, Florida, high school shooting rejected an offer Tuesday to settle his criminal case involving an alleged campaign of harassment against his neighbors.

Behind closed doors in Jackson County Circuit Court, Andrew Scot Pollack, 58, attempted to resolve his case on 15 criminal counts for allegedly harassing his neighbors Keith and Meagan Mapes in late 2022 and early 2023.

Pollack has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He and the Mapes have declined to comment on the accusations.

Both parties spoke with the Rogue Valley Times after the settlement conference, which was closed to news media. They said they were placed in separate rooms inside the courthouse.

The Mapes had the prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Melissa LeRitz, and a Jackson County sheriff’s deputy at their side. Pollack brought his wife, Julie Phillips, and his criminal defense attorney, Peter Carini. Judge Charles Kochlacs mediated between the rooms.

But even after a multihour session that included a settlement proposal by Pollack and a counterproposal by the state, Pollack declined to settle.

“I didn’t break the law, so I am not going to take any deal,” Pollack told the Times. “Just dismiss the whole case — that’s the only deal I’m taking.”

Pollack is scheduled to face a jury March 19.

“I’m going to trial, that’s my plan,” Pollack said. “I feel very confident … in the judges.”

Pollack said he is open to testifying in front of a jury, but he’ll lean on the advice of legal counsel before deciding.

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“We wanted a settlement hearing in hopes of resolving the situation that has severely affected our farm, and family’s health and safety. Our family is the victim of such a unique and sad situation. There are a lot of people in Jackson County watching, paying attention and hoping for justice.”

— written statement from Keith and Meagan Mapes of Eagle Point

Keith and Meagan Mapes said in a prepared statement they did not have a comment about the upcoming trial but were “disappointed another effort to resolve this situation was unsuccessful.”

“We wanted a settlement hearing in hopes of resolving the situation that has severely affected our farm, and family’s health and safety,” the Mapes wrote. “Our family is the victim of such a unique and sad situation. There are a lot of people in Jackson County watching, paying attention and hoping for justice.”

Pollack and Phillips sued the Mapes in 2022 for adverse possession and quiet title. The Mapes countersued, but Judge David Hoppe ruled in favor of Pollack and Phillips and denied the Mapes’ counterclaims.

While the Mapes have declined to comment on the details in Pollack’s criminal case or share evidence with news media, neighbors who live in the area have done so.

Another Eagle Point man, Chris Cooper, told the Times in 2023 that Pollack allegedly used a propane cannon — a gas-powered device typically used to scare off wildlife — as an intimidation tactic. A letter sent from a neighbor to the Jackson County commissioners claims the cannon could shoot 5,000 blasts per 5-gallon tank of propane. One time, it discharged every five seconds for more than six hours.

Pollack’s other major court appearance was in September 2023, when he successfully convinced Judge Jeremy Markiewicz to lift a temporary restraining order lodged against him by two other neighbors, Georgina Kennedy, 76, and her husband, Dan Wilkins, 74. Kennedy and Wilkins alleged that between 2020 and 2023, Pollack harassed them for months by firing a propane cannon almost constantly.

The Mapes, like Kennedy and Wilkins, tried to get a stalking order against Pollack in 2023, but it was later tossed out by Judge Pro Tem Paul Moser. Prior to that decision, Pollack was arrested by Jackson County Sheriff’s deputies on April 19, 2023, on a contempt of court charge for violating a temporary no-contact order, but Judge Timothy Barnack later ruled Pollack was not in contempt. 

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“What I am going through now is nothing compared to losing a child, so this doesn’t faze me at all. They can throw anything they want at me; it doesn’t mean anything.”

— Andrew Scot Pollack

Pollack noted his string of legal victories that lead him to “have faith in the judicial system.”

“We won every single case that these people keep fabricating,” he said.

Pollack became a public figure after losing his daughter, Meadow Jade Pollack, to the now-infamous massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day 2018 in Parkland, Florida. A mural in the girl’s honor is located at the Chabad Jewish Center of Southern Oregon in Ashland.

Pollack said the loss of his daughter has motivated him to stay strong through his prosecution.

“What I am going through now is nothing compared to losing a child, so this doesn’t faze me at all,” Pollack said. “They can throw anything they want at me; it doesn’t mean anything.”

To mark the most recent anniversary of the shooting, Pollack said he donated money to a Coral Springs playground at a Jewish temple. He said he also donated money to Florida law enforcement so they can buy rifles and bulletproof backpacks.

Pollack’s next court appearance — a hearing to prepare for trial — is scheduled for March 14.