Kent shuts down North Park drug house

Kent city officials shut down “a longtime flophouse for drug activity” in the North Park neighborhood, just north of Kent Station.

City crews boarded up the home, 745 First Ave. N., on Oct. 27, as a public nuisance property. The home sits just west of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks. Kent Police are dealing with a similar nuisance problem at a West Hill house, 3015 S. 259th Court, that has resulted in 16 police case reports over the last two years.

Resident complaints helped lead to city action at the North Park home.

“We had been experiencing continuing problems at this house, both on our own and had complaints from many, many North Park neighbors,” said City Attorney Tom Brubaker in an email.

Derek Matheson, city chief administrative officer, described the house in his Nov. 1 report to the City Council.

“This was a longtime flophouse for drug activity, which has no water service (no flushing toilets), garbage and general nefarious activity at all hours of the day,” Matheson said. “This caused a significant impact to the comfort, peace, safety and repose of the North Park residents.”

Police arrested the home’s owner last month for investigation of a public nuisance, Matheson said. Last week in court, the woman agreed to vacate the house for 12 months and signed a trespass agreement with Kent Police to allow them to ban people from the property.

All of the home’s occupants left the property, King County animal control officers took custody of three dogs and trespass warning stickers were posted. The owner was allowed to collect her things from the property. Kent jail work crews cleaned up the trash on the property.

“It was an unusual situation where the owner had passed away and left the house to his daughter, but the estate hadn’t been settled yet, so ownership was an issue,” Brubaker said. “The daughter apparently had a drug problem and had let the house fall into disrepair. There was a lot of foot traffic going into and out of the house, which was suspected to be drug activity. Water had been shut off to the residence. Garbage, litter and feces (human and animal) was cast about the yard. Bad situation.”

The city first received a complaint about garbage on the property in May, according to city staff. City code enforcement officers started an investigation and issued a correction notice, but the owner never responded.

“I’m not exactly sure when, but at some point over the summer, the neighbors started working closely with police to report the suspicious circumstances surrounding the home,” said Victoria Robben, assistant city attorney, in an email. “Our office began working with police in September to determine what legal options were available for addressing the serious health and safety issues. Criminal charges were filed on Oct. 20.”

City code for public nuisance allowed prosecutors to file criminal charges.

“We were able to pursue criminal charges against the daughter for maintaining a public nuisance (garbage, unsanitary conditions, etc.), for failure to abate the repeat code violations at the house and an active warrant for failing to appear on a drug-related charge,” Brubaker said.

City officials hope this clears up the problem.

“We will continue to monitor the house during the interim one-year period,” Brubaker said. “With any luck, ownership issues will get cleared up by then and perhaps the house will be under new control.”