Abandoned House Angers Local Residents

Residents of a Stone Mountain neighborhood are fed up with an abandoned house in their midst and want DeKalb County to do something about it.  

The house is located at the entrance of the Lakeview at Main Street subdivision and has been a blight and an eyesore for over a year, they say. 

"It's not even a house anymore," neighbor Christina Johnson told WSB. "There are no windows. No doors. Just look at it!"

DeKalb County spokesman Burke Brennan said the county has issued at least a dozen citations to the owner, who has failed to show up for dates in court. "Ownership in property is sacrosanct," Brennan said. "So it's a very slow, deliberative process." He said the county is doing everything under the law to solve the problem. 

"It's really a hazard to the whole community," said resident Janice Shoemake. "Everything, the value of the homes, everything. It's just not a good thing."

The owner's next court date is scheduled for December and the owner will face "more fines and harsher penalties" if he does not appear, Brennan said.