6 landlords charged for failing to remedy homes where children were lead poisoned
11/14/2017
Mariah was diagnosed with lead poisoning at the age of one while living with her grandmother's in the home they rent. Mariah was treated, and the family's landlord repainted the interior of the house, May 9. Now, five more landlords charged for failing to remedy homes where children were lead poisoned
The Blade/Katie Rausch
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Editor’s note: Due to incomplete information supplied to The Blade, one owner charged was not included in the initial report. This story has been updated with the sixth owner.
The owners of six Toledo properties with untreated lead hazards where children have been poisoned are due to appear in Toledo Municipal Court on Wednesday on first-degree misdemeanor charges.
Each property has been determined to have lead hazards after a child living or spending significant time there tested with elevated blood lead levels. Owners failed to comply with orders by the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department to control lead hazards within 90 days, according to court documents.
All are charged as violators subject to criminal action, a first-degree misdemeanor, and are scheduled to appear at 9 a.m. before Judge C. Allen McConnell in housing court.
The owners are:
- AM Wygast I LLC, registered to Adam M. Wygast of Toledo, for a property at 1310 E. Manhattan Blvd.
- D&G Preferred Properties LLC, registered to David Durczynski of Oregon, for a property at 1028 Greenwood Ave.
- Kareem Realty LLC, registered to Jermaine Taylor of Toledo, for a property at 1410 W. Woodruff Ave.
- Shaheka Monique Roscoe of Toledo for a property at 1509 Lincoln Ave.
- Kelvin Walker of Toledo for a property at 3214 Maher St.
- Kevin Orlumkpo of Toledo, for a property at 2502 Lagrange St.
Attempts to reach the owners on Tuesday were unsuccessful.
BLADE BRIEFING: More landlords charged over lead poisoning
“The idea is ultimately to make sure they comply with the lead orders,” said Dave Welch, environmental health director for the health department. “We have to send a clear message to the community that lead poisoning is a serious issue and if you are not taking it seriously, we will go after you.”
The charges follow Blade reports in May detailing more than two dozen properties with orders to vacate due to untreated lead hazards. More than half were found to be occupied, many with children. They were among more than 500 addresses across the state with such orders on a list published in May by the Ohio Department of Health.
Local health department officials have since made policy changes to more frequently check the occupation status of the homes, and to start charging some landlords who did not comply with orders to remedy the properties.
The five properties connected to the most recent charges were not on the vacate order list at the time of the May report and have subsequently been added to the state’s list.
Toledo officials in May charged property owners Soaring I LLC of Lakewood Ranch, Fla., along with Edward Hackett and Shannon Bogle, both of Toledo, with the same first-degree misdemeanor. The affected properties are 1219 Noble St., 1420 Campbell St., and 319 Sumner St.
Ms. Bogle pleaded no contest and was sentenced to a suspended 180-day jail sentence and paid $99 in court fines. Mr. Hackett also pleaded no contest and was sentenced to the same and paid $149. Both Mr. Hackett and Ms. Bogle are now working with the health department toward compliance.
Those charged to this misdemeanor could face a fine of up to $1,000 or up to six months in jail, or both, for a first offense.
John Irving, who signed a receipt for documents sent to the Florida-based LLC by the court, did not show up for a June court date. A bench warrant naming the LLC was issued with bond set at $50,000.
Contact Lauren Lindstrom at llindstrom@theblade.com, 419-724-6154, or on Twitter @lelindstrom.