Judge orders Chartiers house to be razed, property cleaned
A Washington County senior judge ordered a Chartiers Township house where animals and birds were removed earlier this month to be razed and the property to be cleaned after declaring the site a nuisance.
Senior Judge William R. Nalitz issued the order earlier this week after a June 16 hearing requested by the township concerning the conditions of the property at 8 Crossroads Road. The defendants, Ruth L. Moore and William E. Moore, did not appear at the hearing, even though the property owners had notice, according to the court order. The relationship between Ruth and William Moore is not clear, said Jodi Noble, township manager, although both are listed as property owners.
Noble said the township was asking for the court order so the debris could be cleaned up. She said the township has sent the Moores citations for code violations for about 15 years.
“Hopefully this will finally bring it to a conclusion with remedy and cleanup,” Noble said Thursday.
The order determined the house on the premises was decrepit, with parts of it that have been open to the weather. A blue tarp can be seen on the roof of the dwelling. The chimney is in danger of collapse, and officials said the house is irreparable.
The property also contains numerous junked vehicles. The grounds are full of trash, old tires, auto parts, abandoned appliances, a variety of household waste, animal pens in poor repair, steel drums, sinks, lawn mowers and a sagging mobile home.
The judge found the condition of the property detrimental to public health and safety, ordering the Moores to pull down the structures and clean up and haul away the debris within 30 days. All of the trash is to be removed. If the defendants fail to do so, the court authorized the township to enter the property, raze the structures and haul away the debris and trash. The cost of the actions may be assessed against the property owners.
Noble said the court order will be discussed at the next township supervisors meeting.
“We truly view this property as a public nuisance,” Noble said. “The township wouldn’t have started the process if we were not prepared to go through with it.”
The township was posting the court order on the property Thursday.
William Moore, 67, and Marci Klinzing, 48, both of 8 Crossroads, were charged earlier this month by the Washington Area Humane Society police officer with 48 counts of animal cruelty after dogs, cats, rabbits and birds allegedly were found living in deplorable conditions and removed from the property. The two are scheduled for a preliminary hearing on those charges next month before District Judge David Mark.