We now have professional squatters. Let's see you top that you western nerdtrons.
[h=1]At south Fargo home, squatter suspected of camping out for years[/h] By Tu-Uyen Tran Today at 5:55 a.m.
FARGO – John Mrozla, a city rental inspector, had to chuckle at the audacity of the squatter at the tan bi-level in the Jefferson neighborhood's northwest corner.
From what the inspector has gathered, 320 22nd St. S. seems to have been home to one Steve Archer, 52, for the past several years, ever since the bank foreclosed on the owner, who disappeared.Based on what neighbors said, Archer may even have rented the place out to others, Mrozla said. The city turned off the water three years ago, but someone turned it back on. Xcel Energy shut off the power a few months ago, but a long extension cord across the backyard suggested someone stole power from the neighbor.
It's a dangerous situation.
"They did a lot of illegal wiring when we looked inside," Mrozla said. "It was a lot of electrical violations that could've caused a fire. And then we also saw propane tanks in there. They're using propane to heat. Those canisters aren't even supposed to be inside of a building."
No one answered at any of the three apartments in the house when The Forum visited last week. Several neighbors said Archer has lived there for more than five years, but none would go on the record. Two neighbors said they were less concerned about him and more about sketchy characters who frequent the house.
But despite all this, evicting the squatter isn't easy for city inspectors, Mrozla said.
The city has posted this apartment building to be illegal to occupy at 320 22nd St. S. Michael Vosburg / Forum Photo Editor
The water thiefOn a sunny Wednesday afternoon, kids were riding bikes and scooters up and down 22nd Street South while their parents watched. From the street, they could see the orange condemnation sign on the door of No. 320 that said "This Structure Is Unsafe and Its Occupancy Has Been Prohibited by the Code Official."
Yet someone still lives there.
When The Forum visited, there were battery-powered lights on in the hallway and a dog was barking from inside apartment No. 3. In the driveway was a black pickup that neighbors said belongs to Archer. A baby stroller and child's toy hinted at a previous tenant.
Inspectors were called in early March after a neighbor worried the house was still inhabited two to three weeks after workers physically removed the service line and electric meters.
When Mrozla visited, he said he noticed a series of long extension cords stretching from the house's dryer vent to a secluded spot by the back fence where it was coiled up. A doormat laid on the fence, apparently to make it easier to climb, and there were footprints leading to an outlet at the neighbor's house.
The neighbor was, predictably, outraged when she learned about it, Mrozla said.
The water department may have also been victimized. Troy Hall, the department head, said his records show the water was turned off in December 2012. It was back on a month later and had to be turned off again in February. After Mrozla's visit, the city found the water was on and whoever turned it on seems to have found a way to bypass the water meter.
The water valve used by city workers is 7 to 8 feet underground, but Hall said he could imagine a determined water thief could devise a rough tool to open it. He said the department has since put a lock on the valve access panel.
For neighbors, the main concern has been the people who have visited or moved into the house. Police records show they've been dispatched there five times in the last three years, once because of suspected narcotics and twice to arrest wanted persons.
In mid-April, police arrested an acquaintance of Archer at the house on suspicion of dealing meth. The acquaintance, Michael B. Froslie, 42, had 9 grams of methamphetamine and $1,600 in cash, court documents allege.
Archer himself was convicted of making or dealing meth in 2005, but more recent run-ins with the law have been less serious, involving shoplifting or driving without a license.
320 22nd St. S. in Fargo. Michael Vosburg / Forum Photo Editor
Rules of evictionAfter police arrested Froslie, Mrozla said the arresting officer, Troy Hanson, wondered how the city could allow someone to live in the house when the orange sign clearly says it's dangerous and illegal.
"We don't have a mechanism to evict them; only the property owner does," Mrozla said. If the owner doesn't agree, then the city has to file suit and wait for the court to decide, he said, even if the building is dangerous.
City tax records show the house belongs to Shane Richeson. Neighbors said Archer had been a tenant for years. They were mystified when Richeson moved away some five years ago.
Mrozla said the city was finally able to track down Richeson's mother in Minot and was told the mortgage company, Caliber Home Loans of Irving, Texas, took over three years ago. The city had trouble getting a live person on the line until recently, he said.
Though squatting in foreclosed homes has been in the news around the country, it is uncommon here, according to police departments in Fargo and Moorhead.
Moorhead Lt. Tory Jacobson said the city is concerned about squatting, enough to recruit neighborhood volunteers to check on abandoned homes.
Deputy Chief Joseph Anderson in Fargo said he's not surprised that it happens, because the city is getting bigger and big-city problems are emerging. He said he knows residents want the squatters out, but the city has to be able to do it legally.
It's been a month and a half since a neighbor alerted the city about the squatting, and Mrozla said he believes a resolution will come soon. "We think something's going to happen pretty quick now in terms of getting someone from the mortgage company over there."
http://www.inforum.com/news/4016945-south-fargo-home-squatter-suspected-camping-out-years
[h=1]At south Fargo home, squatter suspected of camping out for years[/h] By Tu-Uyen Tran Today at 5:55 a.m.
FARGO – John Mrozla, a city rental inspector, had to chuckle at the audacity of the squatter at the tan bi-level in the Jefferson neighborhood's northwest corner.
From what the inspector has gathered, 320 22nd St. S. seems to have been home to one Steve Archer, 52, for the past several years, ever since the bank foreclosed on the owner, who disappeared.Based on what neighbors said, Archer may even have rented the place out to others, Mrozla said. The city turned off the water three years ago, but someone turned it back on. Xcel Energy shut off the power a few months ago, but a long extension cord across the backyard suggested someone stole power from the neighbor.
It's a dangerous situation.
"They did a lot of illegal wiring when we looked inside," Mrozla said. "It was a lot of electrical violations that could've caused a fire. And then we also saw propane tanks in there. They're using propane to heat. Those canisters aren't even supposed to be inside of a building."
No one answered at any of the three apartments in the house when The Forum visited last week. Several neighbors said Archer has lived there for more than five years, but none would go on the record. Two neighbors said they were less concerned about him and more about sketchy characters who frequent the house.
But despite all this, evicting the squatter isn't easy for city inspectors, Mrozla said.
The city has posted this apartment building to be illegal to occupy at 320 22nd St. S. Michael Vosburg / Forum Photo Editor
The water thiefOn a sunny Wednesday afternoon, kids were riding bikes and scooters up and down 22nd Street South while their parents watched. From the street, they could see the orange condemnation sign on the door of No. 320 that said "This Structure Is Unsafe and Its Occupancy Has Been Prohibited by the Code Official."
Yet someone still lives there.
When The Forum visited, there were battery-powered lights on in the hallway and a dog was barking from inside apartment No. 3. In the driveway was a black pickup that neighbors said belongs to Archer. A baby stroller and child's toy hinted at a previous tenant.
Inspectors were called in early March after a neighbor worried the house was still inhabited two to three weeks after workers physically removed the service line and electric meters.
When Mrozla visited, he said he noticed a series of long extension cords stretching from the house's dryer vent to a secluded spot by the back fence where it was coiled up. A doormat laid on the fence, apparently to make it easier to climb, and there were footprints leading to an outlet at the neighbor's house.
The neighbor was, predictably, outraged when she learned about it, Mrozla said.
The water department may have also been victimized. Troy Hall, the department head, said his records show the water was turned off in December 2012. It was back on a month later and had to be turned off again in February. After Mrozla's visit, the city found the water was on and whoever turned it on seems to have found a way to bypass the water meter.
The water valve used by city workers is 7 to 8 feet underground, but Hall said he could imagine a determined water thief could devise a rough tool to open it. He said the department has since put a lock on the valve access panel.
For neighbors, the main concern has been the people who have visited or moved into the house. Police records show they've been dispatched there five times in the last three years, once because of suspected narcotics and twice to arrest wanted persons.
In mid-April, police arrested an acquaintance of Archer at the house on suspicion of dealing meth. The acquaintance, Michael B. Froslie, 42, had 9 grams of methamphetamine and $1,600 in cash, court documents allege.
Archer himself was convicted of making or dealing meth in 2005, but more recent run-ins with the law have been less serious, involving shoplifting or driving without a license.
320 22nd St. S. in Fargo. Michael Vosburg / Forum Photo Editor
Rules of evictionAfter police arrested Froslie, Mrozla said the arresting officer, Troy Hanson, wondered how the city could allow someone to live in the house when the orange sign clearly says it's dangerous and illegal.
"We don't have a mechanism to evict them; only the property owner does," Mrozla said. If the owner doesn't agree, then the city has to file suit and wait for the court to decide, he said, even if the building is dangerous.
City tax records show the house belongs to Shane Richeson. Neighbors said Archer had been a tenant for years. They were mystified when Richeson moved away some five years ago.
Mrozla said the city was finally able to track down Richeson's mother in Minot and was told the mortgage company, Caliber Home Loans of Irving, Texas, took over three years ago. The city had trouble getting a live person on the line until recently, he said.
Though squatting in foreclosed homes has been in the news around the country, it is uncommon here, according to police departments in Fargo and Moorhead.
Moorhead Lt. Tory Jacobson said the city is concerned about squatting, enough to recruit neighborhood volunteers to check on abandoned homes.
Deputy Chief Joseph Anderson in Fargo said he's not surprised that it happens, because the city is getting bigger and big-city problems are emerging. He said he knows residents want the squatters out, but the city has to be able to do it legally.
It's been a month and a half since a neighbor alerted the city about the squatting, and Mrozla said he believes a resolution will come soon. "We think something's going to happen pretty quick now in terms of getting someone from the mortgage company over there."
http://www.inforum.com/news/4016945-south-fargo-home-squatter-suspected-camping-out-years
