MARYSVILLE – Residents in the Hidden Lake Estates met with Mayor Jon Nehring and complained about how scared they are.
Neighbors said it was a good area for about 30 years. But a few years back a drug house popped up, and now up to 25 squatters live there, they said. Rats and hypodermicneedles started showing up in the neighborhood, along with people coming out of the nearby woods carrying backpacks, pushing grocery carts and riding bikes.
Marysville assistant police chief Jeff Goldman and Cmdr. Mark Thomas said the house has been sold to a developer so they hope to clear up the situation soon. Police hope the new owner will board up or bulldoze the home. The police department recently took over code enforcement so they are looking to see if they can use the abatement process to kick out the inhabitants. Public Works Director Kevin Nielsen said he will see if utilities are going to the home. That would be another way to boot them out.
Neighbors said this has been going on for years. Officials would give squatters eviction notices. They would leave, but then new squatters would move in, and the process would be repeated.
“We want your neighborhood back in order,” Goldman said.
Thomas told the neighbors that were frustrated about a lack of information that police “can’t tell all we do. People have a lot of rights out there,” he said.
Goldman suggested forming a Neighborhood Watch. Police could then contact the captain of that group with periodic updates that could be shared.
“Being in the dark is a horrible place to be,” he said.
Debbie Crawford said she has two grandkids and one of them picked up a needle left in their yard. On another occasion, a man knocked at their door and asked if he could use their phone and park in front of their house. Another time a stolen car was parked in their yard.
“I can’t even walk my dogs,” she said. “We’re living where we can’t live.”
Regarding the needle, Goldman said police will come pick those up. “Call 9-1-1 so we can professionally remove them,” he said.
Nehring certainly didn’t like what he was hearing. “Let’s get this dump cleaned up.”
Another topic at the meeting was panhandling. Nehring said the problem has gotten better. “We try to make life uncomfortable for these people,” he said, adding the city wants them to voluntarily leave. “We are a very giving community, and some folks take advantage. Stop giving them money,” and they will leave.
Another question came up asking why the city can’t cut off the drug supply.
“Drugs feed all these problems,” Nehring said. “It will take a national effort to fix it. But if the best we can do is arrest them to push them out then that’s what we’ll do.”
Another resident wanted to know if the city can make an arrangement with the Tulalip Tribes so that it doesn’t sell fireworks and explode them from June 15-July 10.
“You overestimate my ability,” the mayor said, adding the tribes make a lot of money selling fireworks.
