This story comes from our media partner, ABC13. Read the full story here.
CROSBY, Texas (KTRK) — A woman says an abandoned property next door is causing ongoing issues for her family in Crosby, from rodents to trash piling up.
Now, ABC13 is learning that it’s been on the county’s radar for months, and the owner is facing criminal charges.
Beatrice Goudeau is fed up with what’s next to her son’s house.
“Like a bunch of junk. This looks like a big jungle,” Goudeau said. “A jungle with trash, overgrown weeds, and broken boards.”
While the Harris County Public Health department says it’s abandoned, Goudeau says some unwelcomed guests have made it their home.
“Rats, raccoons, and snakes,” she said. “One time, a guy had set up a tent. You know. He’s living in a tent here.
Goudeau told ABC13 her son lives right next door in her late mother-in-law’s house.
“She raised all her kids, all nine of her kids by herself,” she said.
Now, her son’s renovating the house, hoping to preserve a special piece of their family’s history.
“My mother-in-law used to get all her kids together for family reunions and everything,” she said.
According to Harris Central Appraisal District records, the business opened in 1945, and it’s had multiple owners since 1986.
A spokesperson for the Public Health Department says it was once a club, and now it’s being used as a dump site.
Goudeau said she called the public health department about the property last year. They confirmed to ABC13 that a complaint was filed last September and that, since then, they’ve investigated it five times.
The county says the owner was told to clean it up, but didn’t. And now, ABC13 has learned they’re facing misdemeanor charges for failure to abate a public health nuisance.
The county went on to say they are keeping a close eye on the property as Goudeau waits for the problems to go away.
“You wouldn’t want to live next door to something like this. You see something that needs to be torn down,” she said.
ABC13 reached out to the property owner but didn’t receive a response. County officials said they have a court date set in May.