Jewett council tackles abandoned home infested with cockroaches

Jewett council members expressed concern about a vacant home at 202 Terry Lane that neighbors say has become a health hazard.

“That house has cockroaches,” Mayor George Baillie said. “At night time they video taped it and on the inside of the windows, they shined a light, they’re climbing all through the windows on the outside too. All through the grass, on the air conditioner, there were 20 of them crawling up the outside of the door.”

Baillie said he has taken photographs and filed a report with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. Two nearby residents have lodged multiple complaints, with one reporting he has spent several hundred dollars on pest control to prevent the infestation from spreading to his home. With colder weather approaching, officials worry the bugs will migrate to neighboring houses.

“Who owns the house?” Council member Bobbie Prevot asked.

“I called him,” Baillie said. “He’s not picking up.”

The village water clerk also attempted contact but the homeowner did not respond.

The neighbor reached out to the Harrison County Health Department, which is working on a solution. “But they can’t go into the house,” Baillie said. “All the trash is in the back, it’s out in the open, all along the back.”

Council member Joshua Walters asked if the Sheriff could do any more, but Baillie indicated they’ve done all they can at this point. With recent experience in mind, council members lamented they had few options as they can’t enter the property without permission.

“There’s only so much the health department can do. You saw what they did over here,” Baillie said, referencing the June animal abuse case in which a Main Street house was hoarded and spreading fleas to neighboring homes.

For now, Baillie said, the council is doing all they can, which is reaching out to the property owner, creating a legal paper trail and talking to the health department.