Lakeshore residents get little satisfaction from Quorum Court

Lakeshore residents get little satisfaction from Quorum Court

County officials tell disgruntled neighborhood group complaints fall outside their jurisdiction

news@theeveningtimes.com

”Now you are asking us to overstep our purview,” said Justice Vickie Robertson to the Lakeshore Improvement Group at the September Quorum Court meeting. Cassy Bretherick presented more complaints at the September Quorum Court meeting for her neighborhood group dressed up in matching Tshirts emblazoned with “Straight Outta Lakeshore Trailer Park.” Bretherick brought photos and a huge meticulously arranged bulletin board to illustrate the latest complaints. While the Quorum Court had received updates about the water and sewer and trailer park manager the last few months, justices and County Judge Woody Wheeless told the group they were barking up the wrong tree with the ever expanding list of gripes.

“The pictures you sent around, a lot of them were inside the structure, we have no authority inside those structures, said Judge Wheeless. “So when you show us picture of boards that were rotted, we have no authority over that.”

Judge Wheeless and Justice Robert Thorne both said they had been in contact with the State Attorney General who was actively investigating the groups claims over the state of water and sewer systems in the park. They both urged the group to patiently await any state findings.

In all, the Quorum Court entertained Bretherick’s complaints for 45 minutes.

New complaints included illegal dumping and burning, littering, street light out, junk cars, expired tags, traffic offenses, beer cans and drunk driving, gun shots, unlicensed fishing in the lake and landlords illegally threatening utility shut-off or eviction.

The spokeswoman threw shade on the state of the community and asked the Quorum Court for help.

“We all know something has been shady in the shore for a long time,” said Bretherick. Sheriff Department Enforcement Division Chief George Blair was on hand to hear the complaints and responded to the tenants allegations against land lord threats, and shots fired. He said no one had called in these complaints and in order for things to change, someone would have to pick up the phone and dial 911 and make reports.

“As far as you talking about the evictions, we can’t come to your house and tell you to get out unless we have a court order,” said Blair.” When the landlord tells you to get out for associating with you all (the Lakeshore Improvement Group), you call, we are going to advise that this is a civil matter and you can’t make them get out of the house. If your water is paid up and he takes your meter, then take a general information report and you can file a lawsuit.”

“It’s a sheriff’s department matter.,” insisted Bretherick.

“Actually it’s still a civil matter,” said Justice Lorenzo Parker. “You can’t arrest somebody for illegally evicting somebody. It is not a criminal charge.”

“Can you all obtain an attorney to handle all this for you all?” asked Justice Stacy Allen. “Why don’t you all go to legal aid?”

Bretherick insisted certain activities were criminal, not civil.

“We have an attorney that’s for civil, but this is more,” said Bretherick. “It is criminal all this stuff going on out there. The more we uncover the more criminal activity”….

“That has nothing to do with Quorum Court,” interrupted Justice Allen.

“What is that that you think the Quorum Court can do?” asked Robertson.

“I went to the sheriff’s department in May because there is not enough patrol out there,” said Bretherick.

“The law changes when you go under the bridge out there.”

“That is not true,” said Wheeless.

In a separate interview Mike Allen recalled the meeting with Bretherick.

The neighborhood stands just across Interstate 55 from the Sheriff’s office.

“They say they call the police and the police don’t respond,” said Allen. “Our office is right there. The truth is we have the fastest response time to that neighborhood than anywhere else in the county because there is always someone here. We don’t get a lot of calls because a lot of people there don’t like the law.

There are a lot of law abiding citizens in Lakeshore too. We had a call from an ambulance company that they needed help picking a stroke victim up off the floor the other night in Lakeshore and five deputies were there within just a few minutes.”

Allen addressed the word about gun shots. The group made an approach to someone they suspected of shooting instead of calling police. Allen expressed concern about the safety of witnesses and urged calling out police to investigate.

“If you hear shots fired and John Doe citizen goes to investigate, that’s not using your noggin,” said Sheriff Allen.

By John Rech