East Hampton Town Cites Owner of Unheated, Overcrowded House
A homeowner was arraigned Monday in East Hampton Town Justice Court on 28 misdemeanor charges related to an overcrowded house on Northwest Landing Road, according to the town.
The town states that Sydney Griffin, who pleaded guilty in November 2011 to four charges concerning the same property, is once again charged with numerous building and zoning code violations. The charges arose after a January 24 complaint of deplorable living conditions, the town states, and the town code enforcement division and building department both responded. When unsecured firearms were found in the house, the police department was also called in and the firearms were surrendered, according to the town.
“The reported conditions at the property are simply outrageous,” Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell says. “Not only was the single-family house converted into four separate living units for four different groups of people, but there was no heat and there was refuse and food waste throughout the inside of the house. Portable electrical heaters were found in each of the illegal units being run on extension cords that were strung throughout the house. Everyone, including the defendant, living in the house was at a severe risk of danger due to a possible fire.”
The case was adjourned until February 24 to give Griffin time to bring the property into compliance.
“The town will not tolerate landlords putting people’s lives at risk in order to maximize their profits,” Cantwell says. “This is a prime example of how coordinating the efforts of all of our public safety agencies to ensure safe and legal housing throughout our Town will lead to improvement in the quality of life for all our residents.”