It's official: we live across the street from a meth house
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That's how we got to rural north-central Tennessee. Neither my wife nor myself is from TN nor did we have family here when we moved here. (A few have come to live in TN since.)
Having a "home on wheels" helped us to be able to stay in an area for weeks or months to see how we liked it, how we fit in, that kind of thing. It's not a bad plan.
FWIW, we lived across from one of those. Traffic at all hours, strange acting people, we know the drill. We were lucky. They were "cooking something in the kitchen" and started the house on fire. The fire department came and kept watch while the place burned to the ground. It has not been rebuilt.
None of the neighbors were sorry to see it burn. Heck, we coulda had coffee and donuts at our place and set up lawn chairs to watch it burn. We can't see any neighbors here, we're spread out, but I think they were ALL here while it was burnin'. The fire department knew what was burning. The sheriff never showed up, he knew what happened. It was interesting seeing the cars that would pull into the driveway, sit for a few seconds, then turn around and drive off, some nice ones, some ratty ones. That happened for about a month after the fire. It's been super quiet every since.
We didn't have to do anything to them, they did it themselves. From what I've heard, they basically moved it all a couple of miles down the road, across a county line, I believe.
None of the neighbors were sorry to see it burn. Heck, we coulda had coffee and donuts at our place and set up lawn chairs to watch it burn. We can't see any neighbors here, we're spread out, but I think they were ALL here while it was burnin'. The fire department knew what was burning. The sheriff never showed up, he knew what happened. It was interesting seeing the cars that would pull into the driveway, sit for a few seconds, then turn around and drive off, some nice ones, some ratty ones. That happened for about a month after the fire. It's been super quiet every since.
We didn't have to do anything to them, they did it themselves. From what I've heard, they basically moved it all a couple of miles down the road, across a county line, I believe.
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Were you worried about the fumes from it as it burned?
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Burning those labs to the ground is currently the safest, most enviro-conscious way of dealing with them. Provided the fire burns good and hot, the thermal column will carry any remaining nasty byproducts high enough to where they'll be dispersed over a wide enough area that the concentrations will be harmless... or at least less harmful. If you hose them down, you just wash all those chemicals into the soil, storm sewers, etc.
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Figured I should post an update. The tenants seem to have moved on, I haven't seen anyone around there even at night for a week or two. Utilities have been off for a while.
Yesterday someone parked a roll-off in the driveway and today workers are cleaning out the house and tossing everything into the roll-off. It's like an episode of "Hoarders" out there. I feel for the landlord who is going to have to renovate that place but I'm glad this whole ordeal looks like it's finally coming to a close.
Yesterday someone parked a roll-off in the driveway and today workers are cleaning out the house and tossing everything into the roll-off. It's like an episode of "Hoarders" out there. I feel for the landlord who is going to have to renovate that place but I'm glad this whole ordeal looks like it's finally coming to a close.
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These kinds are always on the move, it probably wasn’t even their residence, good to hear you didn’t have to burn them down
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Great!
It's not just renovation. They're going to have to rip out anything and everything that's contaminated with meth, chemicals, residue, etc. Sometimes a house is simply not recoverable and it has to be completely razed and carted off. Also any and all contaminated ground, bushes, plants, etc. removed.
If the house is contaminated, I hope the workers are wearing haz mat protection.
I hope they "only" made meth out back and no chemicals, residue, or meth got tracked in or stored or disposed of in the house, and the meth used elsewhere. I wouldn't bet on it, though.
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If they were cooking meth in the house it will be a biohazard. A friend bought a brand new condo for a rental property and the very first tenants she got cooked meth and destroyed the place. She had asked us about our property management company but decided the 10% was just too much and vetted the renters herself. The place had to be condemned for 6 months. The HOA wanted to sue her (and rightfully so) for the effect it had on the rest of the building.
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I"m glad things are improving in your neigjborhood, @GrayFoal2!
A few months ago I posted in this thread some info about drug activity and drug houses in my town. Recently I volunteered for a slot on the planning board in my town, and so I'm now in a position to have some influence over what happens with the drug houses.
There were three drug houses.
One of the drug housrs burned down a couple months ago. My colleagues and I on the planning board had nothing to do with the fire, of course, but we all cheered when we learned about it.
At another of the drug houses, a "No Occupancy Allowed" sign has been posted, and that house will almost certainly be officially condemned in the near future. Myself and other planning-board members had a lot to do with this.
The third drug house is still problematic. We aren't getting much cooperation from law-enforcement authorities in connection with what goes on at that house. We have it on good authority that the primary perpetrator at that house has recently been operating as an Informant in connection with some large drug-dealing operations in the area, and so law-enforcement folks are going easy on the guy. It seems like we can't do much about that drug house for the time being.
But I am encouraged about the progress that has been made to date.
A few months ago I posted in this thread some info about drug activity and drug houses in my town. Recently I volunteered for a slot on the planning board in my town, and so I'm now in a position to have some influence over what happens with the drug houses.
There were three drug houses.
One of the drug housrs burned down a couple months ago. My colleagues and I on the planning board had nothing to do with the fire, of course, but we all cheered when we learned about it.
At another of the drug houses, a "No Occupancy Allowed" sign has been posted, and that house will almost certainly be officially condemned in the near future. Myself and other planning-board members had a lot to do with this.
The third drug house is still problematic. We aren't getting much cooperation from law-enforcement authorities in connection with what goes on at that house. We have it on good authority that the primary perpetrator at that house has recently been operating as an Informant in connection with some large drug-dealing operations in the area, and so law-enforcement folks are going easy on the guy. It seems like we can't do much about that drug house for the time being.
But I am encouraged about the progress that has been made to date.
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MPL, so sorry to hear about the future house fire at drug den #3. (J/K).
In the old west, they would have burned them out for sure. "Get out of town by sundown". Maybe they had the right idea on some things back then.
It occurs to me that in government, the left hand often doesn't know what the right is doing. Perhaps you can use that to your advantage.
If your local town police aren't willing to do their job, perhaps the county sheriff might be more eager to make a drug bust. They are up for re-election every 4 years and need good stats to support their presence warming that leatherette with their fanny behind their big desk.
Appeal your case to them to see if you can motivate them. If not, perhaps you can get traction with the state police or your district's state politician, a senator or house rep. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
In the old west, they would have burned them out for sure. "Get out of town by sundown". Maybe they had the right idea on some things back then.
It occurs to me that in government, the left hand often doesn't know what the right is doing. Perhaps you can use that to your advantage.
If your local town police aren't willing to do their job, perhaps the county sheriff might be more eager to make a drug bust. They are up for re-election every 4 years and need good stats to support their presence warming that leatherette with their fanny behind their big desk.
Appeal your case to them to see if you can motivate them. If not, perhaps you can get traction with the state police or your district's state politician, a senator or house rep. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
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I’ve heard that meth houses tend to burn down a lot…especially around the witching hour..4 am🙄
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Sounds like California....
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We think that's what happened to one of the drug houses in my town.
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Funny how history can keep repeating itself🤔
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You know, I bet the local police would be mighty upset if their drug investigations were compromised by their informant being identified by the bad guys and removed from the picture.
Edit: Now, you can't tip anybody off, because that would be a crime in itself. But, you know, things happen... Because I am not sure that the local police are on the up and up. The suggestion to talk to the Sheriff is a good one.
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I seem to remember you saying somewhere that you tried talking to the landlord of that house and that he wasn't interested in helping with the problem. I don't see it in this thread, maybe another? Anyway, if that's true, I wouldn't feel sorry for him. He allowed it to become the problem that it became. Maybe next time he'll take a little more interest in what his tenants are doing and worry about his investment a little bit more. If he didn't know and it was reasonable, well then yeah, feel for the guy.
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Yes. The third drug house I mentioned in Post # 91 is owned by the mother of the drug dealer that lives there. He is her baby, and he can do no wrong, in her eyes.
And not only is that place a drug house; it is an unauthorized junkyard, too. There are lots of crap cars and trucks sitting around on the property. The mother and her husband own an autobody shop, and we believe the junkyard is part of their autobody biz. In other words, they probably get parts from the junkyard.
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