Homeowner Doesn’t Know Her Property Line. Allegedly Scares Kids With AR-15 Style Rifle. Meets Police While Holding Gun.
BY: ANDREW COLTON | Editor and Publisher | BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — The Boca Raton Police Department is being praised for its quick de-escalation and calm handling of a situation in Woodfield Hunt Club involving a woman with a rifle who apparently didn’t know her property line, and kids in private school uniforms who thought it was okay to fish in a lake behind her house.
According to an incident report obtained by BocaNewsNow.com, a group of four young kids in polo-shirt uniforms from St. Andrews school decided it would be fun Tuesday afternoon to fish behind a home in the 4100 block of Georges Way. If not for the homeowner with a rifle who believed they were trespassing on her property, it probably would have been.
Security confirmed to police that homeowner Betty Polansky called for a guard to tell the kids that they couldn’t fish behind her home without her permission. When the guard looked up as he escorted the kids from the lake, they all apparently saw Polansky holding an “AR 15 style rifle.” The kids darted to a parent. As they would all later learn, the property wasn’t even Polansky’s.
Upon hearing about the woman with the gun, one of the boy’s parents called Boca Raton Police. Police responded to the community to investigate. Over the minutes that followed, police learned that the lake was not part of Polansky’s property but is part of the homeowners association. The image above shows Polansky’s home, where her property line ends, and where Woodfield Hunt HOA/Lake Worth drainage district easement property begins.
THE POLICE INCIDENT REPORT: When officers visited Polansky, she met them at the door with the same rifle she allegedly held while scaring the children. Here’s what officers wrote in the incident report:
>> We then responded to Polansky`s residence on Georges Way. Upon arrival, it took Polansky several minutes to come to the door. When she opened it, she was holding a black AR-15 style rifle at her hip with the muzzle pointed directly upward. Polansky set the rifle down and stepped away after being ordered to do so by officers. Polansky refused to step fully outside and insisted that officers speak with her while she stood in her doorway.
When questioned about the earlier incident, Polansky stated that four guys were fishing in her backyard, so she asked security to come and escort them off her property. Polansky stated, ”Unless you ring my doorbell and ask my permission to come on my property, don`t be on my property or you will be taken care of.” When asked what she meant by ”taken care of,” Polansky stated she could not elaborate and said, ”You know what I mean by that.” Polansky stated she would not have had an issue with the juveniles fishing if they had asked her first. She stated that she grabbed the rifle while standing at the glass door and that when the security guard arrived, he commented ”nice firearm,” to which she replied ”thank you.” Polansky stated she never intended to shoot anyone, never pointed the firearm at anyone, and only meant to be intimidating…<<
GUN POINTING UP: Security confirmed to police that Polansky only held the gun upwards and at no time pointed it at the children. Security and HOA officials told police that they believed that Polansky had no idea where her property line ended. Responding officers made the decision that Polansky’s alleged actions did not meet the standard for aggravated assault. They did not take her into custody. The mother of one of the boys said all four children are “traumatized,” but she understood the decision. Several adults familiar with the incident told BocaNewsNow.com that Boca Raton Police did an outstanding job keeping everyone calm and making “sensible” decisions based on the facts.
KIDS MAY HAVE TRESPASSED EARLIER: Maps obtained by BocaNewsNow.com from the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser suggest that the kids may have walked on private property at some point to reach the lake unless they used a small community easement in the area. At least one of the children involved does live in the Woodfield Hunt Club community, but that child’s house is not near the Polansky’s residence. Betty Polansky was reminded to call security or the police in the future if she had a concern involving children on her property.
If you are unfamiliar with your property line anywhere in Palm Beach County, you can research it here.
