Clogged toilet plunges landlord and tenant into eviction

Tuesday, Nov. 4

Sibling rivalry

2:20 p.m.., 500 block of Ohio Place

Dispute: A mother told a responding officer her children had been involved in a verbal dispute that stemmed from the concealment of a device charger. Her 18-year-old son had let her 16-year-old daughter borrow his charger and, when he wished for it to be returned, was told she did not have it.

When she was asked to check her room, she retrieved the charger inside. That turn of events set off the son, who yelled at his sister until she left the house.

Now assuming the role of parent, the officer explained to the son that he was an adult now and he would have to deal with situations without resorting to yelling. The officer further suggested he no longer allow his sister to use his belongings if she was going to hide them and then advised his sister to avoid her brother and she was no longer going to be allowed to use his personal property.

Friday, Nov. 7

Failure to hook up

7 p.m., 4900 block of Old Bradenton Road

Civil dispute: Dispatched to a location to investigate a possible larceny, an officer determined the matter was a civil dispute between two parties. 

To arrive at that conclusion, the officer first made contact with the complainant, who stated he has purchased a semi-truck trailer off a popular online marketplace and was advised whom to contact to receive the merchandise, for which he paid the princely sum of $900. 

At the end of October, he advised the officer, he asked for a full refund because the trailer did not meet the specifications of his needs, namely it was not of the hook-up-and-go variety. The seller declined to refund the full amount of the purchase, and instead remitted $375 to his online payment account. The jilted purchaser said he wished for the incident to be documented for civil court purposes.

Monday, Nov. 10

Overflowing emotions

9:19 a.m., 2100 block of Sixth Street

Civil dispute: A man only trying to have a toilet fixed in his rental home said he was under threat of eviction by his landlord. The complainant told an officer that just prior to calling, his landlord posted a seven-day eviction notice on his door, accusing the tenant of denying access to the residence.

The complainant denied the access claim as he wanted the landlord to repair the plumbing issue and that the landlord had been harassing him since he moved in two months prior. Previous complaints had been filed by the tenant with SPD regarding the matter.

The landlord, who was on the scene, said the tenant called him early that morning, leaving a voicemail advising his toilet was backed up. He also claimed the complainant didn’t want him to make the repair but rather contract the job to a third party. He added the tenant threatened to restrain him with zip ties and call law enforcement if he arrived to affect repairs himself.

The property owner further advised he never entered the residence because the issue can be addressed without going inside, and that the tenant had been causing issues since he moved in and intended to file the paperwork for eviction soon. The officer advised both parties to remain cordial while repairs are completed and in the future until the tenancy issue is resolved.