MPR: Drug sting operation upsets Detroit Lakes residents

Drug sting operation upsets Detroit Lakes residents
By Bob Reha
Minnesota Public Radio
July 18, 2001

Detroit Lakes residents are threatening to sue in the wake of a police drug sting. In June police arrested 18 people on drugs charges, after a 10-month undercover operation. Officers confiscated $300,000 worth of drugs, and promise dozens more arrests. But residents are furious that, as part of the sting, police set up a drug house next to a school.

This house, at 414 W. Willow in Detroit Lakes, was the site of a drug sting operation for several months. Neighbors complained about the activities there, especially because the house was across the street from a school. The sign in front of the house proclaims it a "Safe Zone - no drugs or weapons."
(MPR Photo/Bob Reha)

FROM THE STREET, THE HOUSE AT 414 W. WILLOW IN DETROIT LAKES looks like nothing special. But it still makes neighbors' blood boil. "They literally lived in the front yard. They would park their cars up here on this bank and smoke dope out there," says George Peters, who lives next to the school across the street from 414 W. Willow, along with his wife Janet.

"It's really interesting because there's a sign right there. The back of it says, 'School zone - no drugs, no weapons within 100 yards of a school,' and there the house is," Peters says.

For 10 months, Peters says 50 to 75 people a day were stopping at the house, most of them making drug deals. He says the dealer and his family verbally abused neighbors. It was worse for Jo Johnston, whose back yard stands adjacent to the property. She says she had pet feces dumped in her back yard, and broken window glass strewn on her property. Her biggest worry was for her children, age five and two.

"I lived with fear that at anytime, any day, one drug deal could go bad. I didn't want my kids to see anything, to hear anything, or worst of all get hurt," says Johnston.

Johnston says the stress mounted, especially after police failed to respond to repeated complaints.

"My kids sleep on that side of the house, and I had nightmares of stray bullets coming through my kids' window while they were sleeping," says Johnston. "It really started to consume my waking moments. Then when it started to invade my sleep that's when I got really mad. That was about May, when we all just said 'We've had it.'"

One man who lived a few blocks away got so angry he confronted the dealer - and then got arrested for assault. Johnston and Peters demanded a meeting with Detroit Lakes Police Chief Kelvin Keena, and it was then they learned their nightmare neighbor was part of a large scale drug sting.

"I think this probably would have been a lot better operation politically had it ended quicker," says Keena. He says placing the sting house near a school was an unfortunate necessity.

"Housing in Detroit Lakes is very tight. We searched diligently for about a two or three-week period to try and find something that would meet our criteria, and this is what was available," he says.

Keena says he understands the neighbors' frustration but says the operation was worthwhile. He expects the sting to eventually result in 65 to 75 arrests. He says the end results justify the means.

George Peters and his wife Janet live across the street from the drug house, which was heavily damaged by the former occupants. He and some of his neighbors say they'll sue the city of Detroit Lakes if the property is not repaired.
(MPR Photo/Bob Reha)

"I'm not willing to say that we made any gross mistakes or that our actions were negligent. But in operations like this there really isn't a blueprint to follow," he says.

Keena's explanation provides little comfort to neighborhood residents like George Peters.

"I question his professional competency in using judgment on where he placed this home, and how he controlled the informants and the informants' family," says Peters.

The informant is now gone from 414 W. Willow, but Peters and others in the neighborhood say the city has a responsiblity to make sure the mess left behind gets cleaned up before it affects local property values.

Peters opposes the use of taxpayer money to fix up the place. The landlord says he's owed three months' back rent plus damages, and that the police should pay it. But neighbors say no, the building was already in disrepair, and the landlord should pay.

City inspectors say the inside of the house is a disaster. There are holes in the walls, cat and dog feces scattered around the house, and the plumbing is broken. Detroit Lakes building inspector Cal Mayfield Jr. says property manager Richard Penttin told him he hopes to have repairs finished by the end of August.

"Our department is monitoring to make sure that he actually does what he says he is going to do. I have checked it two or three times since then to see what's happening - I haven't seen anything on the inside," Mayfield says.

Neighbors like George Peters and Jo Johnston have informed city officials they're prepared to file a lawsuit if the property is not brought up to code. They say they're happy to see drug dealers put out of business, but they don't want it done this way again.

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