The Wheeling Police Department continues to enforce the city’s drug house abatement ordinance by holding property owners and tenants accountable for illegal drug usage or other vice crimes, that are occurring within or around the real property. A total of 14 property owners have violated the ordinance and have now been summoned to the city’s municipal court. As a result of this police action and affirmation by the municipal court judge, all persons who rented and loitered at the property have been evicted or banned.
Passed by city council in July 2019, and enforced by the WPD beginning in the summer of 2020, the City of Wheeling now has an opportunity to abate these criminal issues. If there is documented evidence of either two misdemeanor vice crimes or a single felony regarding illegal drug activity in a twelve-month period, police will take the property owner to municipal court regarding the abatement.
Based on the municipal court’s decision, the property owner may be ordered to evict the tenant, add security features, ban individuals from the property or force landlords to enhance screenings at their property for future rentals.
Properties that have been summoned in court to date:
- 209 North Broadway St. – Wheeling Island
- 608 North Erie St. – Wheeling Island
- 20 South Penn St. – Wheeling Island
- 108 South Penn St. – Wheeling Island
- 317 South Penn St. – Wheeling Island
- 423 South Penn St.– Wheeling Island
- 531 South Huron St. – Wheeling Island
- 151 Virginia St. – Wheeling Island
- 627 Main St. – North Wheeling
- 2242 Market St. – Center Wheeling
- 2236 Eoff St. – Center Wheeling
- 3622 Eoff St. – South Wheeling
- 3728 Eoff St. – South Wheeling
- 1216 ½ Valley View Ave. – Pleasanton
Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger noted that most property owners and landlords have been very cooperative.
“This new ordinance has provided us with an additional tool to help combat what we know that continues to exist – the national drug epidemic. No good citizen should have to live next door to any criminal behavior,” said Chief Schwertfeger. “In some cases, this tool provides the landlord the ability to evict or make their properties a better place. This is not the end; we have several additional cases in the hopper that will be filed in the next few weeks. The Wheeling Police Department will continue to focus on properties and their occupants who carry out illegal activity in hopes to clean up these plagued areas of our city.”
The Wheeling Police Department remains committed to fighting criminal drug activity in all city neighborhoods. Residents and visitors can report crime in various ways, either by telephone, 304-234-3661, anonymous crime tips at wheelingwv.gov/crimetip or the Crime Stoppers Upper Ohio Valley tip line at 877-TIPS4US.
