LENOIR CITY, Tenn. — The Lenoir City Police Department said authorities boarded up a home near Harrison Road Thursday afternoon after authorities said they received calls about the drug activity and other crimes numerous times. Authorities also said there were two fatal drug overdoses reported at the home.
Loudon County and Lenoir City leaders met at the Loudon County School Technology Center near the home at around 1 p.m., before officers went to the home. After speaking, officers cleared the home and barred anyone from entering. According to a release from District Attorney General Russell Johnson, the owner of the home was already incarcerated.
Lenoir City Mayor Tony Aikens was there along with LCPD Chief Don White. They said a judge signed off on a nuisance petition allowing authorities to close the home.
"What the process is, is the officers will prepare the petition themselves. So, they go through all the calls for service, and in this case, the calls that have come in approximately over the past year. So, they start out the most recent calls for service, they detail out the facts that led up to what they believe happened, the evidence they found at those scenes, and then they will put that into the petition. When that petition reaches our office, I'll review it to make sure it meets the legal standards," said Jason Collver, an attorney who worked to prepare the petition.
He said they were able to prepare the petition quickly, starting it on Monday and executing it on Thursday. He also said he wasn't sure how many people were currently in the home when officers went to board it up.
However, he said most people in the house moved in and out of different properties. White said officers did not believe anyone was in the house around 1 p.m. on Nov. 16, when officers went to board it up.
He also said police surveilled the home before going to board it up, watching it up for weeks before heading over.