BUTTE — Neighbors allege drug houses are causing a spike in crime on Goodwin Street in Butte.
"We lived there for a year in pure hell."
Concerned citizens spoke at the council of commissioners meeting to persuade commissioners to create a new ordinance or amend an existing one to allow for the identification and abatement of public nuisances on properties.
Andree O’Shea said she had been living on Goodwin Street for only a year when she decided to leave. "We put up cameras all over the house. We had to leave with severe PTSD, the police were there every day."
According to neighbors, the alleged criminal activity has been going on since 2018.
Neighbors alleged that people at the house are constantly packing drugs into car tires or areas where drug dogs can't detect them, publicly urinating on lawns, making loud noises throughout the night, parking cars on the lawns of neighbors, running in and out of houses and up and down alleyways.
"We have grandkids, we don’t let them play in the yard very often because of this. They broke into a boat in my yard and I had $11,000 worth of stuff stolen out of it and I’m not saying it’s necessarily people that live there, but that’s the kind of people it’s bringing into the neighborhood," said Kevin Corbitt.
Andrew Hehir said the problem with the communication is how broadly it can be interpreted.
"Don’t bring the whole town together to discuss if somebody should be able to call the cops and have private property removed from the rightful owner because what was happening on said property was annoying," said Hehir.
The communication has moved on to the judiciary committee for review.
