Kiwon
05-18-2008, 10:22 PM
Milwaukie family reportedly lived in house full of feces
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
By KATHERINE COOK, KGW Staff
MILWAUKIE, Ore. -- The owners of a rental property in Milwaukie said they were shocked to see the living conditions of a family they had just evicted for failing to pay rent.
Marie Johnson, who owns the townhouse with her husband Mark, said the carpets and walls were caked with human and animal feces, but said that wasn't the worst part of the situation.
"I'm just disgusted that they were living in this with three small children," said Johnson.
NewsChannel 8 also learned their used to be four children.
In September of 2006 and before they lived in the Johnson's complex, the Vaughn's 19-month-old son, Anthony died of asphyxiation after a recliner fell on top of him. The boy's older sister had been playing on it. The family lived at the Spring Creek Apartments in Milwaukie at the time. Neighbors said the Vaughns appeared to be good parents.
For a time, the couple lost custody of their kids, including a young son with autism. Their neighbors at the townhouse wonder how they ever got them back.
"We'd see the little autistic boy standing completely naked, rubbing stuff in the window," said Dawn Jacques, who lives in the unit next door. "We didn't know what it was that he was smearing at the time, but now we see it was feces."
Jacques said she and several neighbors called the Department of Human Services months ago, to report the Vaughn's living situation.
"Obviously they (DHS) had a file on them and they should have been keeping up and looking at the circumstances they were living in,” said Jacques, “but obviously they weren't doing their job.”
Jacques also said during the year-and-a-half she and her husband lived next to the Vaughns, they saw a state worker knock on their door just once.
"They (the Vaughns) knew it was (the state), so of course they didn't answer the door," said Jacques. "The case worker just left a note on the door and once they left, they opened the door and took the notice."
DHS spokesman Greg Parker told KGW Wednesday that the Vaughn's case was under review.
"This is a family we've had knowledge of in the past. We went to Clackamas County Juvenile Court in the past few years and we were given direction in terms of keeping the children in a safe environment," he said.
The Vaughns were evicted from their unit on SE Whitcomb Drive last week, after they said they failed to make rent several times. After they left, Johnson said she went to inspect the unit and found it in complete disarray.
"I opened the door and was completely overwhelmed by the stench," Johnson said.
"There was broken furniture everywhere and everything was covered with feces. You walk into the bathrooms and both toilets were clogged, so (the tenants) put (their used toilet paper) in piles right next to the toilets," she added.
Johnson said she's already spent thousands of dollars cleaning up the townhouse, which must be sanitized by workers dressed in bio-hazard jumpsuits before other repairs can be made.
"We'll have to replace all the flooring and gut the upstairs bathroom," said Johnson. "They didn't even pay the last month of rent and they didn't leave us a forwarding address."
NewsChannel 8 tracked down Michelle Vaughn at her place of work in Milwaukie. She told us she was living in Gresham with her kids now and seeking a divorce from her husband. We asked her to describe the condition in which she left the townhouse.
"It wasn't that bad," said Vaughn. "But the place we're living in now is much cleaner."
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_051408_news_feces_house.fcb89d86.html#
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
By KATHERINE COOK, KGW Staff
MILWAUKIE, Ore. -- The owners of a rental property in Milwaukie said they were shocked to see the living conditions of a family they had just evicted for failing to pay rent.
Marie Johnson, who owns the townhouse with her husband Mark, said the carpets and walls were caked with human and animal feces, but said that wasn't the worst part of the situation.
"I'm just disgusted that they were living in this with three small children," said Johnson.
NewsChannel 8 also learned their used to be four children.
In September of 2006 and before they lived in the Johnson's complex, the Vaughn's 19-month-old son, Anthony died of asphyxiation after a recliner fell on top of him. The boy's older sister had been playing on it. The family lived at the Spring Creek Apartments in Milwaukie at the time. Neighbors said the Vaughns appeared to be good parents.
For a time, the couple lost custody of their kids, including a young son with autism. Their neighbors at the townhouse wonder how they ever got them back.
"We'd see the little autistic boy standing completely naked, rubbing stuff in the window," said Dawn Jacques, who lives in the unit next door. "We didn't know what it was that he was smearing at the time, but now we see it was feces."
Jacques said she and several neighbors called the Department of Human Services months ago, to report the Vaughn's living situation.
"Obviously they (DHS) had a file on them and they should have been keeping up and looking at the circumstances they were living in,” said Jacques, “but obviously they weren't doing their job.”
Jacques also said during the year-and-a-half she and her husband lived next to the Vaughns, they saw a state worker knock on their door just once.
"They (the Vaughns) knew it was (the state), so of course they didn't answer the door," said Jacques. "The case worker just left a note on the door and once they left, they opened the door and took the notice."
DHS spokesman Greg Parker told KGW Wednesday that the Vaughn's case was under review.
"This is a family we've had knowledge of in the past. We went to Clackamas County Juvenile Court in the past few years and we were given direction in terms of keeping the children in a safe environment," he said.
The Vaughns were evicted from their unit on SE Whitcomb Drive last week, after they said they failed to make rent several times. After they left, Johnson said she went to inspect the unit and found it in complete disarray.
"I opened the door and was completely overwhelmed by the stench," Johnson said.
"There was broken furniture everywhere and everything was covered with feces. You walk into the bathrooms and both toilets were clogged, so (the tenants) put (their used toilet paper) in piles right next to the toilets," she added.
Johnson said she's already spent thousands of dollars cleaning up the townhouse, which must be sanitized by workers dressed in bio-hazard jumpsuits before other repairs can be made.
"We'll have to replace all the flooring and gut the upstairs bathroom," said Johnson. "They didn't even pay the last month of rent and they didn't leave us a forwarding address."
NewsChannel 8 tracked down Michelle Vaughn at her place of work in Milwaukie. She told us she was living in Gresham with her kids now and seeking a divorce from her husband. We asked her to describe the condition in which she left the townhouse.
"It wasn't that bad," said Vaughn. "But the place we're living in now is much cleaner."
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_051408_news_feces_house.fcb89d86.html#