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Town of Babylon seeks to shutter crack house
The most recent incident occurred December 7, 2006. Suffolk Police, assisted by the Amityville Police Department, executed a search warrant at the home, arresting Answane Chamber, 18 of 64 Poplar Rd., Amityville; James Ward, 36, of 37 Coolidge; Jakyma Bunn, 31, of 49 Bethpage Rd., Copiague; Robert McKelvie, 43, of 24 Harrison St., Amityville; Fidel Rampersad, 47 of 32 Croyden Rd., Amityville and Damuel Dash, 30, of 37 Coolidge. The six were charged with possession and sale of drugs. Fifteen grams of crack cocaine were confiscated. "When we went into the house we saw a notice from the Town laying on the table advising the landlord that there had been previous violations there," said Amityville's Det. Bruce Pescitelli. "We notified the Town that the problems were continuing." Det. Sgt. Kevin Naylor of the First Precinct said that police have received numerous complaints about the home and the traffic in and around the area. "There was a major concern about what was going on there because the home is near a school and children walk back and forth there. Whenever there are drugs, there is the potential for violence." Suffolk Police also conducted a raid at the home April 13, 2006, making two arrests and confiscating guns and crack cocaine. Then on October 13, 2006, they made another raid, again confiscating weapons and drugs and arresting James Ward and Damuel Dash on drug charges. According tto Town records, the home is owned by Reginald Williams of Roosevel. Efforts were made to reach him, but he did not respond. What is a nuisance law? Under Town Code, buildings and places that are used for the sale of controlled substances and for the consumption of controlled substances as well as other illegal activities are determined to be public nuisances. They risk the health and safety of the surrounding community and interfere with the community's interest in the quality of life and value of property. The Town law requires that property owners be notified in writing that an arrest for prohibited conduct has taken place, and if a second incident occurs within a year, a second notice is given. The notice must contain the date or dates of the incidents and the nature of the crimes alleged and advise the owner that the town is legally permitted to move against him or her following a public hearing outlining the offenses. If, in fact, the building is determined to be a public nuisance, the town can apply civil penalties such as fines; it can board up and clean up the site and assess the cost for that work against the property owner. On Coolidge Avenue one day last week, a group ofwomen stood across from the house waiting for their children to be left off at the nearby bus stop. "That house has been trouble," said one mother. "I hope they finally do something about it." "I have a nursery school right here," said another woman pointing to a nearby house. "This is not the sort of thing we want happening here." Town officials said they are investigating to see what can be done, if anything, at this point with regard to the home on Coolidge Avenue. "Right now we are not sure that the incidents meet the requirements under the law, but we continue to gather information to see what we can do with that property," said Vanessa Baird Streeter, a spokesman for the Town.
Babylon Town Supervisor Steve Bellone said that instances such as this, regardless of whether they meet the threshold of the law, require attention. "These are quality of life issues for the communities," said Bellone. "We continue to address ongoing problems with gang activies and where there are drugs there are gangs, so we have to continue to work with police and be vigilant."
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