Crazy or a target?

Everton Brown insists he's not crazy. I think his neighbors would disagree.

The 43-year-old charges that his Baltimore County townhouse is being searched -- repeatedly -- by the police. You name the agency, they're busting into his place at 7542 Maury Road in the Parkview Crossing development near Security Square Mall.

I could easily dismiss this as the rantings of a man who needs some help. But Brown has taken that extra step to demand attention -- he has attached a large sign covering his front door with large red lettering:

"My home & vehicle are continuously being searched by the Authorities. I have never been involved in Any Illegal activities. If you have any information, please Assist Them."

And that's not all. He displays a piece of the crawlspace floor that he says he leaves open so police who come to search don't have to break anything. He says authorities got his alarm code from the alarm company, and he knows they come in because everytime he leaves he puts tape on the door and notices the pieces are broken when he returns.

He's using Scotch tape.

It all started, Brown says, with a fire on Jan. 24. He then noticed someone following him in his car. "When I called 911, they stopped following me," he said, adding, "They come into my house every time I leave. It's real. It's not in my mind."

You might have even seen Everton Brown before. For weeks earlier this year, he stood in front of the U.S. District Court building on Lombard Street holding a sign, "Stop the harassment. 6 months of torment. No more! No more!"

I toured Brown's house and found it a mess. He says he is rebuilding after a fire; the house looks uninhabitable. He lives in two rooms upstairs -- sleeps on a sofa next to two large cages for his pit bulls and uses a cramped office to write letters to Baltimore County police complaining they aren't investigating the break-ins.

Why write about this? Well, Brown's actions are setting the stage for what could be a nasty fight with his community association and neighbors, who can't be too pleased about living next to a house that either gets raided by police every day or is occupied by a man who thinks it is. The sign alone can't help the three people who are selling their homes on his street.

His neighbors wouldn't talk to me, including one next door who is involved in several legal disputes with him. Counter charges of trespassing and harassment have been filed.

Officials with Parkview Crossing, including an attorney who handles many of its covenant claims against residents, didn't return repeated phone calls to discuss the topic.

But Brown stated the obvious: "The neighborhood, they want the signs down. They think it looks bad."

You think?

On Aug. 14, Parkview Crossing sent Brown a violation notice demanding he remove a storage container he has used since the fire, register his car and take down his banner. It's the first step toward legal proceedings.

Now, Brown says he has put a tape recorder in his attic to capture the raids by police.

Of course, he says, "I don't have any actual, real proof of seeing them."

Crazy or not, at least the neighbors have something to talk about.