Vacant Duke Street Home Deemed Uninhabitable

The house at 11 Duke Street now has signs barring entry after the town’s building inspector deemed it uninhabitable following reports of animals hanging around and overgrown vegetation.

The house, which has been vacant for some time, was visited by police and an animal control officer on July 24 after reports of animals and deplorable conditions inside.

Upon arrival, officers saw several cats that fled the area as they approched.

Inside the house, police said they saw poor conditions and noticed animal feces throughout the first floor. The air was rank with the smell of urine and in the basement, a dead racoon was found lying at the bottom of the steps.

“The conditions of the interior were very bad,” a police report stated, and “due to the hazards,” the officers went back outside after taking photographs.

Outside, police saw two plates with cat food and tuna fish that appeared to have been recently placed by the door.

The building inspector was soon notified and a few hours later, the determination that the house was unfit for humans was made and a no entry sign was posted on the front door.

Town records show the property is owned the estate of Janice A. Ucci. Ucci died on May 7 in 2013 at the age of 83.