In Lakewood, Colorado, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office recently conducted an eviction at a residence on 8000 West 10th Avenue following complaints from neighbors about ongoing issues at the property.
Neighbors had observed a significant amount of foot traffic in and out of the home in the past few weeks, prompting concerns. Subsequently, the property was labeled as uninhabitable, with a warning sign posted on the front door.
Upon inspection by Denver7 Investigates earlier this week, the property was found to be strewn with various items such as trash, clothing, and camping equipment. The residence is situated near the Jefferson County Open School, adding to the community’s unease.
Over the weekend, the property caught fire twice, which prompted several residents from the area to speak at the Lakewood City Council meeting on Monday night. They demanded action from the city, with one person calling the property “a complete hazard” and an “emergency situation.”
- Listen to more public comments from neighbors during that Lakewood City Council meeting here:
more public comment from neighbors during a recent Lakewood City Council meeting
We brought neighbors’ concerns to the Lakewood Police Department, which told us that over the past eight weeks, officers had received two dozen calls to that spot.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson said the condition and activity “surrounding two houses in this location has escalated beyond what can be reasonably addressed through routine law enforcement alone, and the department has been working to address these problems for several weeks now.” The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is now involved to begin the eviction process, the spokesperson added.
That came to fruition on Friday afternoon. Around 1:30 p.m., deputies carried out the eviction, and several people eventually left the house.
The City of Lakewood said the garage that caught fire had been illegally converted into a living space, while the house was illegally converted into multiple units.
Once the eviction process was complete, Lakewood officers cleared the house of any remaining people and secured the building. While the building is now posted as “dangerous and uninhabitable,” it is not technically condemned. It is, however, illegal for anyone to be in the building.
According to the city, the property owner has been told that a fence needs to go up around the property immediately while the process to either clean it up, restore or tear it down is in progress.
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Lakewood police did not arrest anyone during the eviction. A spokesperson said there are no criminal charges or arrests currently planned for anyone related to that address.
Denver7 Investigates is still waiting on public records requests from local law enforcement that indicate how often officers were at that address and for what. We’ll be sure to keep you updated.
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