Downhill neighborhood.

Our neighborhood is not getting any better. I can't remember if I wrote about this or not, but the slumlord neighbor was able to purchase another piece of property for sale, so now he has 3 lots, the newest being directly behind his rental property. Now his meth-head son pretty much spends all his time there, so at least we don't have to look out of our kitchen or family room window and watch him sit in his container (it's like the box off a small delivery truck with no door on the end anymore) and get high.  The firewood that he had left (that the county had ordered him to remove) just ended up getting moved down to the new lot, but now the county is also aware of this and will be watching closely for signs that he's still trying to do the firewood business. That's about the only good thing that has come out of slumlord purchasing it.

They thought with the new property being tucked back in a corner they could start burning garbage again. Luckily the fire dept was able to get there before they realized what was going on and caught them in the act - during a burn ban and of course burning stuff that isn't allowed, even if there wasn't a burn ban. Then, with a little more info from DH, the fire dept got the whole history and since property owner (aka slumlord) has already been warned the next time he burns he's getting in big trouble with the clean air agency (this was about a year ago). Since it's the same property owner, the warning goes with him to any of his properties, so fire dept passed it on the the clean air agency and now slumloard is getting a big fine in the thousands of dollars - sounds like close to $20,000.

His renters in the property at the end of the street continue to let a drug dealer live in his little pickup on the property. He is in and out all day and night. And over the past couple of weeks there is now another car that is doing the same thing and a guy with long hair in a pony tail that comes and goes on foot or a bike....so now we have 3 people that don't live there going in and out all the time. This is a little road/driveway that is just supposed to serve as access for 3 residences..it now has more traffic in the past several months than in the whole 25 years we have lived here.

Two days ago I was leaving in the morning to go to breakfast with my mom and see a small one gallon gas can laying on the side of the road, near our garbage cans. A review of our security cameras video shows the car that has been going in and out the past couple of weeks driving by and drop the gas can out his door.  He then stops several yards down farther (still right in front of our house) and proceeds to sit there for a good 5 minutes. Then he gets out of his car, opens his trunk and then shuts it and gets back in his car and drives away. Ten minutes later (because when they leave they always come back in 10-15 minutes) he comes back and drives right by the gas can laying on its side.  DH thought about it awhile and then decided this could very well be a threat.....they know we called them on the burning.....you can put the pieces together......DH called the sheriff and he came out and pretty much blew us off as over reacting, but as a good friend of DH's (he's kind of a bad-ass biker dude, would never want to mess with him!) said: call and at least get what they did on record.  And we have it saved on video. DH had just left the can laying there.

Last night was cars and/or people in and out all night long (and of course they aren't quiet cars). We even have on video 2 guys walking down the road (one was the meth-head son of slumlord) and one of them picking up the gas can and taking it with him. Then at 3:50am (DH can't sleep when they are doing their runs up and down the road) DH sees on the camera a guy walking down the street, carrying something he is swinging back and forth in his hand and just then the little pickup pulls up. He hands him whatever he was carrying and the guy keeps walking and the pickup goes towards the house. Sure enough 10 minutes later the pick up starts up and is leaving (again!) so DH has had ENOUGH. He walks out (with our dog) and up to the fence as they are driving by - just to let him know he is being watched and the kid (early 20's) stops and gets out of his truck and says "what?" and DH told him he's not bringing this shit on our property. (Kid tried to say he was just coming back to pick up some clothes.) This little road he is on and just did his drug deal on is our property and the easement to use it is for the 2 property owners that live past us. Then the kid just turns around and starts to get back in his truck and DH did a bit of yelling and then came in the house and called in a drug deal to the police. The little truck never really ever leaves the neighborhood - he just either goes to one of slumlords other 2 lots or he does down to the known drug dealer house kitty corner behind us...which is exactly where he drove to.  DH saw through our video on side and back of our house that the cops did drive down there a few minutes after he called, but doesn't sound like they did/found anything. The officer who came the other day when DH called said they would increase their patrols in this area.

I think our next move is going to be contacting the county again and checking into what slumlords ex-daughter in law (who used to live in the rental trailer) told us. She said the trailer is not rentable in the condition it is in and that slumlord was told by the county that only he, as the property owner, would be allowed to live in it. Might be worth pursuing and see if her info is correct.  I also submitted a "tip" to the county drug tip website. Gave info that cars and people are going in and out of this small private road for 3 homes all day and night. Maybe that will help get this area on more watch too.