The city of Hollister shelled out nearly $15,000 to clean up 240
yards of garbage, which included buckets of human waste, hypodermic
needles and years of compacted trash, strewn around a home on San
Benito Street.
Hollister – The city of Hollister shelled out nearly $15,000 to clean up 240 yards of garbage, which included buckets of human waste, hypodermic needles and years of compacted trash, strewn around a home on San Benito Street.
And that was only the outside of a home at 1148 San Benito Street, which had been condemned in February after police arrested one of the residents for drug sales and possession of a severed owl’s head in the front yard.
Hollister Code Enforcer Mike Chambless was apprised of the problem when Unified Narcotic Enforcement Team agents arrested resident Samuel Joseph Martin, 48, for possession of crystal methamphetamine for sale and violation of parole. While at the residence, agents discovered the head of a barn owl in a pot nailed to a tree in the front yard, and a pair of wings lying on top of a box near the head.
But Chambless was called in because of the state of the residence.
The city contracted with Seaside company Disaster Kleenup Specialists Monterey Bay to dispose of the mountains of trash strewn about the property, said General Manager Jesse Lizama.
It took workers about five days and eight Dumpsters to clean up everything from rotten food, disintegrating blankets and clothing stuffed into shrubs and bushes, batteries and feces, Lizama said. Most of the garbage was piled in the backyard, with smaller piles stacked against the sides of the house which were noticeable from the street, he said.
“It was like going to a landfill. It was amazing what was back there – everything from a motorcycle to a bathtub,” Lizama said. “Anybody walking by would have smelled the house or seen piles of debris. But the piles just got bigger as you went father back.”
Clean-up workers clad in hazardous materials suits separated most of the materials and recycled as much as they could and tore down a shed in the back that residents were using as a bathroom, Lizama said. The city had boarded up the residence before crews arrived, but Lizama hopes the city will contract with the company again to tackle the inside.
“That’s the worst. We don’t know what we’re going to get into, but it’s a better place for vermin and insects because of the food,” he said. “(The house) isn’t the worst we’ve ever seen, but it’s up there.”
Chambless said four people were at the residence at the time of Martin’s arrest but was unsure whether all four were living there. He didn’t know what will come of the inside of the house or if it’s even salvageable because of the horrendous interior. For now he said the unenviable task of cleaning up will be left for the owner to deal with – Martin’s mother who lives at a nursing home.
“There is stuff piled floor to ceiling – you can’t even get through the doorway,” he said. “They were living in the living room, bathroom and part of the kitchen. The other part of the kitchen you couldn’t even get through.”
But the house is completely boarded up and because the stench and hazardous materials have been eradicated, the problem is contained as far as the city is concerned, Chambless said.
Chambless is meeting with the city attorney today to discuss repayment details with the owner – who must pay the city for the clean-up costs.
“She has to pay. We’ll put a lien on the house if she doesn’t,” he said. “It’s not costing the taxpayer a dime … but the city will get its money.” Chambless said the owner will most likely be able to work out a payment plan with the city for reimbursement purposes.
Although Martin was arrested for drug sales there is no record of criminal charges filed by the San Benito County District Attorney’s Office against Martin at the San Benito County Superior Court. However, the Hollister Police Department forwarded information about the decapitated owl to the San Benito County Fish and Game Department and Warden Jeremy Bonesio confirmed he has the information and is following up on the crime.
Bonesio declined to comment further, but if Martin were convicted of misdemeanor “possessing the skin of a non-game animal” under the state Fish and Game code he could face a maximum fine of $5,000 and a year in county jail.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected].
