It's a modern day Sleepy Hollow story, except instead of revenge, a masked criminal appears to be settling a score over parking.

With thousands of dollars in slashed tires, a defamation lawsuit underway and now a dozen criminal charges laid against the head of the community neighbourhood watch, suspicion and paranoia has pitted neighbour against neighbour in this secluded, well-to-do Toronto hamlet called Wychwood Park.

"It was a traumatizing situation for us. Very frightening for us," said Laura Shuttleworth.

Since the fall of 2006, the Shuttleworths have awakened more than a dozen times to discover that the tires of their white SUV had been slashed. Threatening notes – "don't park on the street" – were occasionally left on the vehicle. Sometimes it happened twice in a week. Then there'd be nothing for months.

While the majority of homes in the area have lot parking, the Shuttleworths don't. An old garage in the backyard is inaccessible, so they park out front. Visitors, families with multiple cars and hilltop homeowners also park on the street.

Others vehicles through the years, mostly in the south end of the park were vandalized, but the Shuttleworths remained the main target.

On May 22, long-time Wychwood resident and neighbourhood watch head Albert Fulton, a retired math teacher and the unofficial archivist of the Toronto Islands, was arrested and charged in connection with the attacks.

The 70-year-old has been charged with criminal harassment, 10 counts of mischief, and one charge of wearing a disguise with intent in connection to incidents from November 2006 to May 2008, said Const. Wendy Drummond.

Wychwood Park trustee Jennifer Lofft was also in shock when she heard the news. Video surveillance in the area captured the image of a man in a dark balaclava, Lofft said.

Fulton could not be reached for comment.

Speculation as to who could be behind the attacks swirled throughout the community, which was founded in the late 19th century by a group of artists.

The Shuttleworths' next-door neighbours, the Worsoffs, filed a defamation lawsuit against the Shuttleworths three weeks ago. Allegations in the claim have not been proven in court. It alleges that people within and outside Wychwood were told the Worsoffs were to blame.

Lofft called the allegations "groundless."

Worsoff's husband, Mitchell, is a criminal lawyer. "People were told it was us," he said. "This is embarrassing."

"We heard the rumour last. You know when a wife cheats on her husband, the husband is the last to know," said Maya Worsoff. "We're not involved whatsoever with the community. Just imagine not being involved and then hearing from people outside the park (about the rumours)."

In May, the saga took another twist, with Fulton's arrest.

Gwen Rapoport, 87, formed the neighbourhood watch program with Fulton and another man in the late 1970s. Rapoport resigned more than a decade ago after she went blind. "I had heard about the tires from (Fulton)," she said.

"I can't believe it."

"For one thing, it's an arrest not a conviction and Mr. Fulton is considered innocent until proven guilty. (But his arrest) really felt like a punch in the gut to people in the community," said Lofft.

Wychwood, a designated heritage site, is a neighbourhood unlike any other in the country.

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It's located in the leafy hills southwest of St. Clair Ave. W. and Bathurst St., but the roads and lighting are owned by the community, which is run by a small group of trustees. A fence and large trees obscure the entrance. It's easy to miss. Once inside, modest million dollar homes, verdant yards and even a pond make it hard to believe you're in Toronto.

"They envisioned it as sort of a utopian artistic community where artists could live together in a co-operative environment," Lofft said. The close-knit roots of the neighbourhood have made the last two years even more difficult. "It was urban terrorism," Lofft said. "That's the only thing to call it."

Fulton will appear in court in August.