The problem of homeless campers setting up housekeeping around town seems to get worse every day. Officers answered multiple complaints about the problem in Portsmouth over the weekend.
Just after 9 p.m., a Grant Street called and said a group of homeless people set up camp behind their home. When officers responded to the scene, they stood by while the group packed up three shopping carts full of belongings and agreed to leave the area.
Police warned them they could be arrested for trespassing.
At 10 p.m., a caller reported a man setting up camp near Frank & Stein’s bar. Police advised him to move along.
At 1 a.m., employees at the Speedway on Gallia reported that a shoeless man kept coming into the store and yelling at employees. When officers arrived on the scene, medics from the Portsmouth Fire Department were treating the man. Police advised him to stay away from the store.
A caller reported a man who was not moving lying in the median near the Verizon Store on Young Street. When officers responded to the scene, the man said he was simply sleeping.