Kokomo is nowhere near Bermuda or the Bahamas; it’s a small city about an hour north of Indianapolis.
Fans of the HBO docuseries “Neighbors,” which examines real-life neighborhood conflicts around the country, saw Kokomo residents at odds over excessive farm animals on one property.
Episode 2 of the series follows resident Trever Yeakley’s attempt to get his grandmother’s home rezoned as a farm so that he could keep his livestock after neighbor complaints.
Yeakley disputed that the operation at his grandmother’s home could be called a farm, however.
“It’s not some big, huge thing,” he said in the episode. “I would call this my homestead.”
Yeakley explained his purpose: to provide food for his family. Property owner and Yeakley’s grandmother Judith Sciaraffa told HBO and county officials she supported his efforts. Despite concerns that her grandson was taking advantage of her, “he is not,” she said in the docuseries.
When the episode aired, viewers who don’t follow local government meetings learned they can be a source of drama just as fascinating as fabricated reality TV situations.
A board of zoning appeals meeting in Howard County became the battleground for the debate over whether they could keep their farm animals.
Yeakley and Sciaraffa got their answer fast, but as for removing the animals, they took it slow.
Here’s a look at what happened after the events shown on “Neighbors.”
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County sues Kokomo residents after animals aren’t removed
Howard County’s board of voting appeals filed a lawsuit against Sciaraffa and Yeakley in January 2025. The lawsuit says the property:
The initial complaint explains that the defendants applied for a zoning exception, which was heard by the plan commission in September 2024. It was denied, and they were ordered to remove the animals.
Despite that, the complaint says, the farm animals remained on the property months later.
In May 2025, the judge in the case granted a default judgment ordering Sciaraffa and Yeakley to remove the animals, trash and debris within 14 days, after which an inspection was to take place.
Have the animals been removed from ‘Neighbors’ episode in Kokomo?
An attorney for Howard County confirmed that by April of 2026, the animals had been removed from the property.
The defendants also were ordered to pay $2,000 in attorney fees and $70 for a local ordinance violation. Court records show those fees were paid in full in April 2026.
‘Neighbors’ renewed for a second season
Variety reported in March 2026 that “Neighbors” was renewed for a second season. An air date has not yet been set.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: HBO’s ‘Neighbors’ coming back. We checked on an Indiana dispute from season 1
Reporting by Jenny Porter Tilley, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
