Columbus police boarded a space in South Linden that has a long documented history of gun violence, drug activity, stolen cars and other riots.
The two firearms, several rounds and 50 grams of suspected fentanyl that police reported recovering on July 15 after executing a warrant at 1487 Kenmore Road were the last drop in the bucket of an asset that has long been on law enforcement radar.
Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein on Thursday received an emergency court order that allowed police to evacuate and close the facility, located west of Cleveland Avenue and five blocks from Linden-McKinley High School.
“The degrees of violence and danger in these assets must be tolerated,” Klein said in a written statement. “I am grateful to all of our partners who have worked collaboratively to close these assets and provide a respite to those residents. “
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The closure is transitory for now while the case is pending before Franklin County Environmental Court, a specialized court created to expedite the tracking and adjudication of housing code violations and destructive property. An initial hearing is scheduled for Aug. 9.
In the court document, Klein’s main point to a troubling trend of criminal activity on the property, where police have responded to 51 service calls since April 2018.
Four shots were reported in the assets in 2020, adding an incident in November of the same year when the space was shot dead while the resident’s 3 youths were reportedly inside, according to the court’s lawsuit.
In the past nine months, 38 court cases have been filed with the city’s 311 service center over drug trafficking and disorder at the facility.
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On March 18, Columbus police responded to the space after the Ross County Sheriff’s Office informed them of the option of an absentee being held captive in the basement.
This month alone, the ShotSpotter alert formula paid for by Columbus police in four neighborhoods of the city recorded 3 shots fired between July 2 and July 4 at the address, according to the court complaint.
On July 5, police won a complaint from a caller who said he saw a space guy conducting an alleged drug trade with shoppers in the alley at the back of the library or nearby.
More recently, police executed a warrant two weeks ago at the home and confiscated two firearms, ammunition, believed to be 50 grams of fentanyl, a substance that played a role in 76% of overdose deaths among Ohioans in 2019, and several other suspicious ingredients that are awaiting all lab test results. Among the unidentified contraband were several bags of white powder, several bags of an unknown white rock-like substance, and several bags of a transparent crystalline substance.
The city’s deputy prosecutor, Chassidy Barham, who is assigned to Zone Four, which includes the Linden area, said the closure of the assets is the result of diligent paintings to build the case that opposes it.
“The trend of violence and crime in these assets posed a permanent risk to the area,” Barham said in a written statement, “especially given their proximity to several network assets. “
elagatta@dispatch. com
@EricLagatta