Rat-Infested Lakewood Property: City Takes Action

LAKEWOOD, CO – The City of Lakewood has swung into action to address a rat-infested home in the 1600 block of South Lee Street, after television news reports showed the rodents crawling outside the house.

Lakewood officials are working with the police department's code enforcement team to contact one of the owners of the home, said Stacie Oulton, the city's public information officer. Oulton confirmed that the property at 1619 S. Lee Street had been the subject of complaints from neighbors before.

"We have had some success with the owner of the property before," Oulton said. "She agreed to clean up some trash on the property after being contacted by code enforcement."

This time, the code enforcement team will ask for permission to enter the house, which Oulton said does not look so bad on the outside. "If you drove past that house, you would never look twice at it," Oulton said.

That's not how Kelly Houghton felt when she moved in next door and then noticed a strong stench coming from next door and saw rats crawling all over the outside of the house.

"I can't enjoy my backyard," she told Denver7. "These 90 degree days, with the smell coming in, we're very hot at night, having to close the windows."

According to Jefferson County property records, the home is owned by several members of the Dieckman family. Gertrude Dieckman, 85, listed as a registered voter at that address. Denver7 reported that the home appeared vacant.

Oulton said if the city cannot get ahold of the owners within 24 hours to get permission to enter the home, they will petition a municipal judge for a right-of-entrance order to inspect the inside. At that point, it may take a court proceeding to allow police code enforcement agents to enter the premises.

"These sites are difficult for cities to respond to because people have property rights, and the right to use their property how they want," Oulton said. "They may want to have vehicles on property, or building material or junk. It’s always very difficult in determining what point to step in to say, 'this is now a public health hazard.'

Neighbors can become upset by how long the process takes, Oulton said.

"This kind of thing can be frustrating for residents who live near properties that aren't being ckept up," she said.

Read the Denver7 investigation here.

Image via YouTube.