A Georgia home-owner has taken authorized motion in opposition to Macon-Bibb County officers, accusing them of demolishing his property with no court docket listening to.
Eric Arnold purchased the home in Macon, Georgia, in February 2022 for $15,000, which he deliberate to renovate for himself and his youngsters. Arnold was renovating the property when a dumpster appeared on the location, and his home was labeled an “imminent menace to the neighborhood.” The home was demolished in November 2023.
Arnold’s legal professionals argue that he was unaware of any demolition plans and located no public document of Code Enforcement in opposition to the property when he bought it.They declare Arnold had paid his taxes and obtained the mandatory permits to avoid wasting the house.
Arnold expressed his frustration, saying, as quoted by the New York Publish, “I did every thing I used to be speculated to do. I assumed I used to be okay. I wasn’t okay. They nonetheless knocked my home down.”
Lawyer Christie Herbert claimed that the county fast-tracked the demolition regardless of Arnold’s requests to take away the home from the checklist. “Whereas he nonetheless had work to do, the yard was neat, the outside was clear, the home was locked up, and, most significantly, it was in a vastly improved state of restore in comparison with when he bought it,” Herbert mentioned, as quoted by the New York Publish.
“Eric’s lawsuit isn’t nearly one man’s home; it’s about defending the constitutional rights of all property homeowners in Macon-Bibb County,” Herbert mentioned throughout a press convention.
Arnold has sought compensation for the home’s buy and renovation prices.
Macon-Bibb County officers mentioned that they’re conscious of the demolition on Sunnyvale Drive. A letter was issued a number of years in the past, designating the property as a Nuisance Per Se and blighted, with a discover that it could be torn down if not repaired, officers added.
In response to officers, the property was marked as blighted earlier than Arnold’s buy, and so they hadn’t been knowledgeable of any building permits or repairs up to now 20 months.
