A devastated homeowner in Georgia is suing Macon-Bibb County officials, claiming the home he was building for his family was demolished without a court hearing.
Eric Arnold reportedly bought a property in Macon, Georgia, 90 miles southeast of Atlanta, for himself and his children in February 2022 for just $15,000. Local news station WMAZ.
“It's like they took everything away from me,” says Eric Arnold.. “They robbed me of my dignity and made me not even human. Like, 'You don't even exist, we just do what we want.' This is our town. ”
13 Wimas
The house was slated to be a “restoration project” that Mr. Arnold was renovating and eventually planned to live in, but a dumpster was placed on his property and Mr. Arnold's home was considered an “imminent threat to the community.” The plan was changed after it was recognized as a “foreign threat.”
When Arnold bought the house, the county had already placed it on its demolition list.
But Arnold's attorney claims his father didn't know, there were no liens on the house and there were no public law enforcement records.
It was finally demolished in November 2023.
The demolition was part of Mayor Lester Miller's plan. bright fight The scheme, launched in 2021, was aimed at removing dangerous structures from the neighborhood, but Arnold insists he paid taxes and obtained the necessary permits to protect his home before it was demolished. There is.
“I did everything I had to do. I thought I was OK. I wasn't. They still demolished my house,” Arnold said.
“He still had work to do, but the garden was tidy, the exterior was clean, the house was locked, and most importantly, it was in a much better state of repair than when he bought it. Arnold's lawyer said. Christy Herbert wrote in a statement: on her website.
Herbert claims the county “secretly rushed the demolition” after Arnold called for a halt and asked the county to remove her home from the demolition list.
Today, all that remains on the property is a concrete slab at the end of the driveway and the mailbox where the mailbox once was.
Arnold demanded repayment of the price of the house and the cost of renovations. According to the Macon Telegraph.
Neighbor Jerry Collins said Arnold's home was the latest victim of a renovation project that was abruptly halted by overzealous bulldozers in the neighborhood.
“There are a lot of people out there doing their best to bring these old houses back to life and revitalize the area. I see good things happening, but if things continue like this, nothing good may happen, and that's what I want to do.” That's a real concern,” Collins told the program.
“Eric's lawsuit is not about one man's home, but protects the constitutional rights of all property owners in Macon-Bibb County,” Herbert said at a news conference on the vacant lot where the house once stood. It's a thing,” he said.
According to WMAZ, a lawsuit has been filed, although the county said no lawsuit has been filed yet. make a statement About a demolished house.
“We are aware of the demolition of Sunnyvale Drive. Macon-Bibb County has designated this building as a nuisance, has blighted it and a letter was filed several years ago saying it would be demolished if not repaired. It is written that it was done.
The property was listed as blighted before being sold to Arnold in February 2022, according to a statement from county officials. County officials said new homeowners were given 20 months to “withdraw or make repairs to their building permits,” but they received no notice. Demolition has progressed.
