Portsmouth, Ohio, officers continued their battle against squatters setting up housekeeping in vacant and condemned homes.
Just after 4 am, two units responded to a report of people inside a condemned house. The caller said they also had electricity on at the location. However, when officers checked official records, it showed the house as condemned with no electricity.
Police took a man into custody for criminal trespass. This was his seventh trip to the Scioto County Jail.
Previous arrests were for aggravated possession of drugs and criminal tools, multiple probation violations, theft, criminal trespass, and manufacturing drugs. The bond was set at $250.
*Law Enforcement does not determine bond amounts.*
Later that day, officers were asked to check on a recently condemned Farney Street home. The city had condemned the house earlier in the day, and the occupants had until noon to leave.
A caller contacted police at 6:30 pm to report there were several people still inside the home and that they had pulled down the ‘condemned’ signs.
The individuals left before the police arrived. Officers nailed the door shut again.
On Saturday morning SCDN was contacted by a local citizen that witnessed a large-scale police operation at a vacant home in the 1500 block of High Street. According to them, 5 people have been detained.
