March 6

NY man gets summonses for laughing too loudly

The Associated Press

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. — A New York man says he didn't know it was a crime to laugh.

Robert Schiavelli of Rockville Centre, on Long Island, was slapped with two summonses for "disturbing the peace."

Police responded to his home on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13 after receiving complaints from his next-door neighbor that his loud laughs could be heard across the driveway.

The 42-year-old was charged with acting "in such a manner as to annoy, disturb, interfere with, obstruct, or be offensive to others."

At his arraignment Tuesday, a judge declined to dismiss the charges.

Schiavelli tells the New York Post his neighbor often taunts him due to his disability. He deals with it by laughing him off.

Schiavelli suffers from seizures and neurological impairments.

The neighbor didn't respond to requests for comment.

Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form

Send question/comment to the editors




Further Discussion

Here at OnlineSentinel.com we value our readers and are committed to growing our community by encouraging you to add to the discussion. To ensure conscientious dialogue we have implemented a strict no-bullying policy. To participate, you must follow our Terms of Use.

Questions about the article? Add them below and we’ll try to answer them or do a follow-up post as soon as we can. Technical problems? Email them to us with an exact description of the problem. Make sure to include:
  • Type of computer or mobile device your are using
  • Exact operating system and browser you are viewing the site on (TIP: You can easily determine your operating system here.)


Most…