By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Round one: code violations.
Round two: zoning violations.
Lewis County officials continue in their attempts to shut down what they now call boarding houses, two residences in rural communities in which a handful of individuals recently released from prison live together.
110 Nix Road
At issue is a three-bedroom home on Nix Road west of Chehalis where neighbors have said they’re afraid to let their grandchildren outside alone to play as well as a similar operation on the 200 block of Clark Road near Onalaska.
The county has filed a civil suit in Lewis County Superior Court asking a judge to declare the property owners are in violation of zoning rules by using the houses for anything other than single family residences.
Named in the complaint are Judy Chafin-Williams who leases the houses and acts as property manager for the tenants, Janice I. Thompson who owns the properties and Larry G. Gladsjo who is co-owner of the Clark Road property.
Sheriff Steve Mansfield has told a block watch group on Nix Road his goal is to remove the felons from their neighborhood, implementing a zero-tolerance policy for any incidents there and working with other arms of county government to discover if any code or zoning rules have been violated or even craft new ordinances.
Lewis County Commissioner Ron Averill said today the county has already looked to see if got they’ve got more members of the households than allowed for the particular septic systems.
“At one point they had about nine people and they were informed they were exceeding the septic limit and they had to get that down,” Averill said. “And I understand they did.”
In March, elected officials and other county employees spoke at a block watch meeting for Nix Road, sharing what they believed they could and could not do.
At the time, Chief Civil Deputy Prosecutor Glenn Carter said among the questions they were pondering is what exactly is meant by “single-family” dwellings. It’s not black and white, he said.
However, the complaint filed Wednesday focuses on where in unincorporated Lewis County single family residences are allowed and where they are not.
Both the Nix and Clark road homes are situated in zones called rural development districts. Multi-family residences are not allowed in those zones.
By contrast, there are areas of the county which were more densely populated before the state Growth Management Act was put into place – such as Onalaska, Packwood, Glenoma and similar communities – where multi-family uses are permitted.
The complaint is for an injunction, declaratory judgement and abatement of nuisance.
Part of the request is for a judge to set monetary penalties if the respondents fail to comply within 30 days of an order.
Chafin-Williams, who oversees the homes as well as similar houses in the cities of Centralia and Chehalis, describes her work as Christian-based, and the owners as people who got tired of renting to drug addicts.
The number one house rule is no drugs or alcohol, according to Chafin-Williams. These are simply people who need assistance getting back on their feet after they’ve done their time in prison, according to Chafin-Williams.
She said she was served notice today of the lawsuit.
“I do have an attorney, and we are going to fight it,” she said.
The property owners Thompson and Gladsjo couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.
They have 20 days to file a response to the complaint.
•••
For background, read:
• “Discord on Nix Road: Newest arrivals unwelcome” from Saturday March 3, 2012, here
• “The backstory: Intelligence gathering, possible fines and code enforcement tools ‘not normally used’ ” from Sunday March 4, 2012, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Maybe I should call Crime Stoppers, I think my neighbor has to many people using the crapper. I wonder If I would get a Reward?
forgot to finish a sentence. The zoning law doesnt permit more then 8 folks to live in a house that are not related in our area. And there is atleast 9-10 folks in either house at any given time. And yes the home is being leased to one person then that person is sub leasing out to the ex-cons.
You do know that the reporter also edited the report he/she posted. And yes it is a simple zoning issue. If you ever thought to look at the zoning laws for the property’s you would see that multi family’s living in the home. And if you read the posts below me you would know what a multi family is.
But just so you can see what constitutes a family here it is.
“Family” means an individual; two or more persons related by blood or marriage
And there is more then 8 folks in each house and none of them are related by marriage or blood.
“w says” – what constitutes ‘multi-family’? If this Sheriff decides to evict these folks on that basis, I would expect – out of fairness – that EVERY roommate situation in the entire unincorporated county undergo the same scrutiny and the same evictions.
Are you certain there is a ‘double lease’ (whatever that is)? I think the owners utilize Judy as a property manager. She collect rent on their rental homes. I think there are some rental management companies in town that would throw a huge fit if they could not act as property managers for absent homeowners.
This is not a simple zoning issue. The Sheriff, at an open public meeting with a reporter present, was reported as looking to manipulate the current laws to force eviction on this one property. His fellow former police man ‘just happens’ to live on Nix road (and was reportedly out with a flashlight at night ‘spotlighting’ this house himself). So it is ok for the neighbors to spotlight this residence, but it is Judy’s residents who are in the wrong?
I think the problem is that there are zero (count ’em!) licensed group homes in Lewis County. Perhaps the actions of the current Sheriff and his un-appointed deputy on Nix road are the reason no homeowners want to take on that sort of business in this county….
Guys if yall read the public records yall would see that the houses the excons on nix and clark road are in violation of the zonening laws. Those homes are not zoned to be double leased let alone having multi family’s living in them. The other places yall are commenting about are more then likely in buildings that are zoned to do what they are doing.
common sense says, “Really people? …you haven’t had to deal with it….so many random cars coming in and out…How are these people in these houses supposed to start over or move on with their lives if they have nothing around them being so far from city limits? ”
Gosh common, I think you answered your own question… they get rides, which are sometimes random cars going in and out.
Unless, of course, you are alluding to an assumption they are drug dealing – in which case your other point is valid… why would druggies come clear out into the toolies to get drugs when they can easily get a hook up in town? And wouldn’t a drug sting take care of gathering real evidence that this is happening? Rather than an assumption from a neighbor with a bias.
What is good for one is good for all…. if you don’t want a FUTURE Sheriff to use the same means to get YOU out or your son, or your brother or his kids… don’t allow it here. Absolute power corrupts…absolutely. Leave the checks against this sort of bullying in place. If Judy is breaking the law, the COURTS can decide… not the Sheriff. Especially one with a history of breaking the law when it suits his personal needs….
Well, Chief Civil Deputy Prosecutor Glenn Carter, ponder no longer…
As per Lewis County Code 17.10.083 FAMILY is defined as:
“Family” means an individual; two or more persons related by blood or marriage; a group of two or more disabled residents protected under the Federal Housing Act Amendments, who are not related by blood or marriage, living together as a single housekeeping unit; a group of eight or fewer residents, who are not related by blood or marriage, living together as a single housekeeping unit; or a group living arrangement where six or fewer residents receive supportive services such as counseling, foster care, or medical supervision at the dwelling unit by resident or non-resident staff.
Furthermore… the definition of SINGLE-FAMILY DWELLING per Lewis County Code 17.10.217:
“Single-family dwelling” means a residential unit permanently installed and served with utilities.
Again Common Sense, it is everywhere! Do you think Judy can just get housing anywhere? Maybe you have a friend who will rent her a place around town? Then it wont be on your street anymore, viola, problem solved, right? As long as they are not on your street. Then Mansfield wont have to show his ass anymore either! Sorry but the problem IS MANSFIELD! Our county Sheriff! Tell me truthfully, do you approve of the way he is handling this? Cause if you do, yopu need to change your name. Dont avoid the question please, give your honest answer.
Really people? Do any of you actually live next to one of these houses on Clark or Nix Rd? Probably not so you haven’t had to deal with it, see the fights, so many random cars coming in and out, or worry when they ‘say their just checking fence’ but you see them watching you work in your back yard.
Give me a break people, these homes on Nix and Clark Rd are out in the middle of nowhere, nothing is available to them- public transportation for work or any work at all.
How are these people in these houses supposed to start over or move on with their lives if they have nothing around them being so far from city limits? Then comes the boredom and the chances for real problems and being sent back to jail.
You people don’t know what you’re talking about and shouldn’t talk unless you’re actually living next to one of the houses on Nix or Clark Rd and dealt with all the problems that have occurred.
HA…Hi Five M!!! You are one stand up bitch! So now cops…how do ya like her now!!! Ha! So now do you get the drift Mansfield??? THEY ARE EVERYWHERE MANSFIELD, TELL YOUR PAL ON NIX ROAD TO GET OVER IT! SHIT, THESE DAYS ID SURE AS HELL RATHER LIVE NEXT DOOR TO AN EX CON THAN A COP ANYWAY!
MorningCoffee says:
“Nobody wants ex “cons and drugees as neighbors. But in reality, we all have them… you just don’t know it… you don’t know the history of each and every neighbor.” Amen to that, Morning Coffee. My husband and I live in Scatter Creek Ranch. On average, homes run about $300,000. A really nice, family-friendly “hood.” I’m sure the two WSP officers and Thurston County Sheriff who are my neighbors wouldn’t be so quick to chat, smile, and/or give a friendly wave to my husband and I when we are out walking our newborn baby and dogs if they knew my husband was a felon on DOC supervision…….
When The Lewis County Jail is over full, who writes violations for to many people in the Jail using the Crapper…..If people would just quit watching Dancing with the Stars and MTV and participate in the Community then Dirty Police and County Officials wouldn’t be rail-roading X=convicts that are trying to clean up their acts… This is what is called an Ex-Post Facto Violation……
More feel good Vote for me Non-sense…..We are not in Germany Sheriff Mansfield… Too many people using the crapper is a code violation, then right yourselves a ticket next time the Jails overcrowded…..
Are you worried about criminals living next door, Then lets take a look at City Councilman and Pastor Bill Bates. Bill Bates is now on probation and living next to Ms. Panette. How do you think she feels about the Criminal and Pastor Bill Bates?….Of course Bill Bates only received probation from the Centralia Kangaroo Court.
Want to know the Facts.. Watch My Video I made about Bill Bates. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np9tBYbUl44&feature=plcp
I would be very worried about my cat if I lived next to Mr. Bates, after all he is an admitted cat killer.
I have one more thought on this Issue. Steve Mansfield’s Son had a restraining order complaint filed against him. I have personally read this Public Document and Mr. Mansfield’s Son Johnny was accused of some horrible things in this complaint. Johnny was not convicted but the restraining order was issued. And Johnny Mansfield still remains at large in the Community. But no ones complaining about Johnny.
And Further more, A Local Police Officers son is a Known drug dealer in the community but know one complains about him selling pills in the community.. What it boils down to is that, Corruption is all around us and this is just another feel good bunch of B.S to make the Sheriff Look Good….Everyone deserves a second chance. It’s called the United States of America, not the Divided States.. The real Criminals are related to Law enforcement…Just ask a Cops Wife they will tell ya!
Seriously? If this goes through & the Sheriff “clears” these places out due to too many ppl living in these places. Then he better start going door to door all through the county. I understand No one wants to have ex-cons living next to them. But this is flat out Discrimination! Someone get the ACLU involved here. There is over crowding in Many “single family dwellings” I hope Mansfield has man power to clean them all up. I agree…get your own Block Watch going on. Start meeting your neighbors & watching out for your Own “HOOD”. I’m not sure why I shake my head at some of the stuff that goes on in this county. The Mentality of some people is just overwhelming to me.
Lets not Forget about Matthew Knight of the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. He killed an Un-Armed Man. Do you think his Neighbors Feel Safe? I’m glad that criminal’s not living next to me. I would be scared to death, because he’s still a Killer on the Loose.. Sheesh I could be killed for making a phone call from my porch, Matthew could say I had a Gun….
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office is now Enforcing 1940’s Type Nazi laws inside the Community. The Constitution has been Flushed down the Crapper. Even the President of the United States is a Criminal. Eric Holder could get a Good Job working for the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Community’s all across the United States need to Flush out these Dirty Officials… America’s Police Forces are the Laughing Stock of the World….Check out this web site. It exposes the Police for the Trash they are. http://www.relfe.com/07/fluoride_drug_dangers.html
The neighbors are scared, please give me a break. There are felons living all around us. Many Felons have had their records sealed and are now among us. Look at the Pe-El Coach. He was a Juvenile Rapists in the eye’s of the law, and he was around high school students every day all day. But no one had a problem with him until he got caught.
And Let’s not forget Steve Mansfield himself, he was accused of harboring a runaway. So if he was to be convicted of this alleged crime would you treat the Ex- Sheriff of Lewis County like this?
And lets look at the Sex Offender issue. The fact is that Sex Offenders have the Lowest Rate to Re-Offend, So if your scared to let your kids go outside then maybe you should move. The Modern day With Hunt is Getting Very Old. heck out Oncefallen.com for some real facts….Try replacing fear with facts, and then we can all appreciate America for what it is. The Land of the Free. Not the Land of the Forever Convicted..
I spoke too soon. I should have revisited the previous articles… seems that everything I yapped about IS being addressed already by the community and the officials representing them.
And if all of the neighbors’ original concerns/complaints were in fact taking place, I would have wanted to bring this to attention as well. There ARE SEX OFFENDERS in this home, and there are special rules for them and where they can live; AND the owner WAS in violation by allowing the garage to be used as a bedroom.
I have a mixed response to this issue.
I agree with most everything being said here. Nobody wants ex cons and drugees as neighbors. But in reality, we all have them… you just don’t know it… you don’t know the history of each and every neighbor. I remember some of the early concerns about some of the housemembers wandering the neighborhood in what the observer called “stealthily” (or some similar word), but every person has the right to wander your (and our) roads. In today’s environment we always have to be aware of what’s around us. I’m 58 yrs old, and as children, my siblings and I were always taught to be aware of who and what is going on around us. We didn’t grow paranoid, we were just always aware…. and still are today.
As the population grows and becomes more and more diverse, we will have exponentially more criminals, ex criminal and undocumenteds all living among us— we are no longer in a world in which you know all your neighbors. Perhaps worse neighbors would be pre-criminals or current criminals — you don’t even know it. –You can’t choose your neighbors. But you can always choose to leave.
In the bigger picture, wouldn’t you rather have a registry and know where the folks are? From what I can see, it’s a decent sized property and is very well maintained. No trash around, lawns and beds are tended to, no toys strewn all over, no junky cars parked all over the place. Lucky you.
Come to think of it, isn’t there a process for declaring a home for purposes such as this? — whereby part of the process is to have town meetings. Did this process possibly take place and no one in the neighborhood paid any attention until after the fact?
I will concede, however, that I do not know all the facts.
If there has been over frequent unusual or illegal behavior coming from this property, I would indeed want to be doing something about it. Perhaps it might me as easy as ensuring the subject house is run according to the rules of halfway houses in addition to normal rental contracts in residential neighborhoods as described in the Washington State Tenant-Landlord Rules. If a landlord wants to limit occupation of the home they are allowed to use a general “guideline” (not official rule)– to allow 2 people per bedroom. [a bedroom is: a room with a closet] It is up to the landlord whether he/she wants to allow more in the case perhaps of a married couple with multiple children. But since all of these tenants are adults, from my perspective, I would prefer 1 adult per bedroom since they’re supposed to be acclimating to life outside. Looking at it from the perspective of what size septic tank is installed is an interesting one… this suggests to me that more than one adult is occupying a room.
tO: POWERMAD – when a home is a rental… there are tenant-landlord rules which can assist an owner to keep the numbers near the occupancy level for which the home was built. Only when you personally own the home in which you live, can you push the limits if it’s occupancy. But I know where you’re coming from…this is not the first time these types of challenges have gone to court… it happens all across the country.
Will the Sheriff’s Office or DOC or DSHS be referring the ex-convicts to more criminal-friendly neighborhoods? If so, what areas of Lewis County will the sheriff designate as “felon friendly?” Maybe relocating the felons to a tent city in a church parking lot would be an acceptable solution? While many landlords and property managers refuse to rent to applicants with a criminal history, in this case, it’s been reported that the property manager is genuinely interested in helping the recently released felons and is intolerant of drug and alcohol abuse by her tenants. For felons without family to turn to, this type of support is critical for reducing recidivism and curbing the homeless trend often reported in convicts fresh out the pen. Housing solutions for people with legal histories are difficult enough without the involvement of barnyard block watchers and overzealous public officials. The involved parties don’t want felons in the hood, their hood. I get it. But- unfortunately, the reality is that with millions of inmates in America’s penal system, nearly all of them will at some point be released. Approximately 8,000 per year in our state alone.
get your own block watch. Protect yourselves and your rights. Have a couple people out there 24/7 to see and document anything that may be related to the block watch vigilantes. Get some brothers and volunteers, cover your asses. Protest downtown, get this as public as you can. Dont let them do what they are doing, and then just quietly sweep it under the rug again! Blatant abuse of power seems to be the rule in Lewis County.It makes me sick to watch this happen aknowing they will still get away with it. THINK OF WHAT LIFE WILL BE LIKE IN TEN YEARS IF CITIZENS DONT UNITE TO STOP IT RIGHT NOW. nix Road Grandparents, your grandchildren are gonna grow up in a real ugly world and I hate to tell you but it will be because of ugly, vengence filled people like you. The government is going to be a monster and there wll be no stopping it. I will gladly help Judy and the others fight this insane battle.’
Right in front of God and everybody! Block Watch meetings in barns. Will they be wearing hooded robes next time? Better yet, are they gonna get away with it like they always do? CITIZENS, ARE YOU SEEING THIS? Judy, you guys need anti-harrassment or maybe even protection orders! FIGHT, BE LOUD, DONT GIVE UP AND WATCH YOUR BACKS
First ObamaCareTax and the Arizona ruling that states can’t enforce federal law now we have a sheriff who continues his powermad attempt to assist his friends in their vendetta against private citizens. If their breaking the law put them back in jail. If you live in town you have the same people around you it just isn’t as know cause your friend the sheriff isn’t telling you.
How will this effect Oxford Houses and other sober houses? Will they be banned as well?
What about blended families? Are they ‘single family’ or not?
What about two families – where brother and his kids move in while they get back on their feet…will that be considered a situation where the Sheriff can declare a nuisance? What if the brother’s kids are noisy and your neighbor doesn’t like it? If he is connected to the police union, will he be able to declare them a nuisance?
What about two single roommates… are they two families or one? What about a third roommate?
I think this is a case of those in power using their power in a selfish, self-serving way. THEY don’t see anything wrong with using their power that way. Do you?