MEMPHIS, TN – Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton, and Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin announced Monday that the City of Memphis is securing a large group of condominiums in the Fox Meadows area after bringing a public nuisance action against the owners. Various crimes and fire, health and code violations have plagued the Wooddale Condominiums, which is mostly abandoned and in a state of disrepair.
The District Attorney’s Office filed the nuisance action against owners of the Wooddale Condominiums, located at 4876 Winchester Road, after numerous complaints from citizens about crimes and environmental and health concerns on the property.
Environmental Court Judge Larry Potter ordered the property temporarily secured and the owners to court for a hearing at 10:30 a.m. on February 26 to answer to the allegations in the petition. While most of the units are abandoned, some residents do live at the property. Those individuals may stay. However, Memphis police are enforcing a strict no trespassing policy in which only residents and their guests are permitted on the property.
According to the petition, crimes such as robbery, drug sales, and the concealment of firearms have been reported at the Wooddale Condominiums. The petition alleges the poor conditions of many units, most of which have been essentially abandoned, are attracting these crimes at the condos. The condos sit within one mile of Wooddale Middle School and Cromwell Elementary School.
Upon the most recent visit to the Wooddale Condominiums, the following crimes and nuisance activity were immediately apparent:
- illegal dumping of waste on to the parking lot;
- vandalism and theft, such as gang graffiti, and the theft of copper, plumbing and piping stripped from the complex by burglars;
- indications of criminal trespass on the property; and
- numerous fire, health and code violations.
The property has been targeted by the Environmental Team (E-Team) as a major problem property needing attention. The E-Team is composed of various agencies involved in addressing problem properties, including both City and County Code Enforcement offices, the Shelby County Health Department, the Memphis Fire Department, the Memphis Police Department, and the D.A.’s office.
Since taking office as city mayor, Mayor A C Wharton has been personally attending the E-Team meetings. He has agreed to take the lead in implementing the Operation: Safe Community strategy on problem properties, which includes a more aggressive E-Team.
“This is a unique situation in that there are residents still living in some units of this condominium. But the conditions here are a magnet for criminal activity. We hope to work with the association and the owners to end the criminal activity and create a safer environment for those living here and those who live nearby,” said District Attorney Bill Gibbons.
“Problem properties act as a drain on police resources, create hazardous environments, and lessen the quality of life for neighbors and community residents while reducing property values and breeding crime. Unlivable dwellings such as the Wooddale Condominiums are just one more example of the blight that must be addressed in our community. A physically disordered environment sends a message that no one cares. If left unchecked, the seemingly minor offenses such as graffiti, vandalism and theft will lead to the infiltration of more serious crimes. The citizens of Memphis want better and they deserve better. The MPD will continue to be an integral part of the Environmental Team and Mayor Wharton’s initiative to clean up our neighborhoods. I will continue to work with General Gibbons and utilize members of the Organized Crime Unit, Uniform Patrol, and any other available resources deemed necessary to address problem properties,” said Memphis Police Director Godwin.
As a result of undercover investigations by the Memphis Police Department since the start of Operation Blue CRUSH™, the D.A.’s Office has filed nuisance actions against the owners of more than 200 properties.
Tennessee law states that the District Attorney General has authority to bring a civil action against any establishment deemed a nuisance. The statute defines a nuisance, in part, as “any place in or upon which… unlawful sale of any regulated legend drug, narcotic or other controlled substance…quarrelling, drunkenness, fighting, or breaches of the peace are carried on or permitted.”
The D.A.’s Office, working with investigations by the Memphis Police Department and as part of Operation Blue CRUSH™, has filed nuisance petitions against the owners of numerous properties, both residential and businesses, under the Tennessee nuisance law. Some nuisance actions have resulted in permanent closure of the properties. Others have reopened under consent orders to alleviate the nuisance.