MIDDLESEX TWP — A long-running property dispute hit its latest snag Tuesday after a judge excused himself from the case.

The dispute started in 2013, when plaintiffs Jeff Bonifate and Craig Pracht sued members of the Tisdale family over their use of a 50-by-400-foot strip of land, saying that the land should be split between the Pracht, Bonifate and Tisdale properties.

The Tisdales argued that the land belongs to them, according to a state code that says untitled land goes to the property owner who used it after 21 years.

Middlesex Township also has been involved in proceedings associated with the lawsuit, as the land has been used by the township to hold plowed snow during the winter.

The dispute has now entered its sixth year. As it's lingered in the court system, the property has been surrounded by yellow posts, chains and other barriers by the plaintiffs in an effort to keep the Tisdales from passing through, other than to access a row of mailboxes. In addition to the railroad ties and orange barrels, there are surveillance cameras, which court documents say have captured alleged trespassing on the property.

This week, court documents indicate that Judge Michael Yeager is no longer handling the matter after the plaintiffs' decision to publish a confidential investigation request they made to the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board in November accusing Yeager of being influenced by his relationship with the defense's attorney.

This is an excerpt — subscribe to butlereagle.com to read the full article.