Charges filed after Houses from Hell investigation
4:54 p.m. Friday, December 28, 2007
It takes a lot of paperwork to build cases like the one the Shawnee County Distrcit Attorney is working on.
Shawnee County District Attorney Robert Hecht sifts through files containing several months of research, photographs and information from neighbors. It will be used in 14 civil lawsuits against owners of Houses from Hell.
"Seek to compel a property owners to fulfill their obligation to the neighborhoods and to improve the property," Hecht said.
At least half of these properties were included in the 49 News Houses from Hell investigation.
Houses from Hell
See 49's Houses From Hell series on neighborhood blight in Topeka
- Houses From Hell: One owner struggles with city to keep his house standing (May 6, 2007)
- Houses from Hell: House demolition a long, lengthy process (May 9, 2007)
- Houses from Hell: Problems after the demolition (May 13, 2007)
- Houses from Hell: Neighborhoods look into possible solutions (May 16, 2007)
- Buildings from Hell: Abandoned businesses attract crime and lower property values (May 20, 2007)
- Houses from Hell: County DA wants to put the law into action (May 23, 2007)
- Landlords Association offers to help clean up house from hell (November 27, 2007)
- City Council codes hearing (December 3, 2007)
- "Houses from Hell" series spurs action from the DA (December 18, 2007)
- New look for 615 SW Tyler...neat and tidy (December 19, 2007)
- DA applauds Houses from Hell investigation (December 27, 2007)
- Charges filed after Houses from Hell investigation (December 28, 2007)
A house at 1603 Southwest Western had been abandoned for at least four years and was sold at an auction in October.
Neighbors say the apartment buildings at 1325 and 1326 Southwest Fillmore had drug activity and have been broken into several times before being sold at auction.
Hecht says all of these properties named in the suits met certain criteria.
"That it is housing for transients, it ts infested with rodents and other disease carriers," Hecht said.
The home at 1519 Southwest Tyler was included in the lawsuit.
According to a city codes inspector, the interior of the house was in danger of collapsing. It was torn down by the city in October.
Another house at 634 Southwest Taylor was featured on our Houses from Hell photo gallery submitted by 49 news viewers.
Neighbors say they saw animals and vagrants had been in the house while it sat empty. The District attorney has filed petitions in civil court to get these property owners cleaned up.
"Channel 49 has brought a lot of public attention to the issue," Hecht said.
Post a comment
(Requires free registration.)