Galloway Police previously responded to the same property on Leeds Point Road on September 7, 2013 when Police broke up a party with over 200 people in attendance.
This time, according to the Police Summary report, Dispatch received a telephone call from a resident at 135 Leeds Point Road. The resident reported a loud party coming from 137 Leeds Point Road. Officer Paul Smith arrived at the residence and saw a few subjects standing out on the front porch. Upon exiting his patrol car, those subjects quickly ran into the house.
Officer Smith noted in his report, he could see lights on inside the house and could see (and hear) numerous (more than 20) people running around, yelling and shouting. After knocking at the door the lights on inside the house were turned off and people began to scatter giving the appearance they were trying to hide.
Some of the subjects went upstairs and some could be seen packing into a back room that appeared to be the kitchen. Officer Smith knocked on the door continuously, yet no one would answer the door for the Police.
Officer John Mooney, who also responded to the call, went to the rear of the house in an effort to make contact with someone. After repeated attempts contact was finally made with a resident of the home, Jerard T. Defazio at the rear door.
Defazio stated he was renting the house while he attends school at Stockton College. Defazio was issued a summons for Township Noise Ordinance 253-8 General Noise Prohibition where "no person shall make, continue or cause to permit to be made or continued unnecessary noise."
The penalty upon conviction could be a fine not more than $1,000, imprisonment of not more than 90 days or a period of community service for not more than 90 days. Each violation constitutes a separate offense.
Defazio was previously issued a summons on September 7, 2013 for the same violation at the same residence.
2 comments:
It's about time, that Galloway pass an ordinance in regards to this type of thing. There are to many rental units in Galloway, that just don't care, about the Homeowners next door. I hope this resolution has some teeth to it, and the landlord, who owns the property, will become responsible for whom he rents his property too. The sooner this goes into effect, the better, for all of Galloway Township.
I hope that the ordinance has a section that states that after the second summons that the house/apartment loses its Certificate of Occupancy, which would force the residents to be evicted by the landlord because it would no longer be legally rented. The loss of the Certificate of Occupancy for, say, 6 months will cost the landlord more than any fine could effect, since the landlord would not be able to collect rent. The loss of a CofO would discourage landlords from renting to unsavory/irresponsible renters. This loss of CofO could also extend to tenants/property owners who continually break the law too.
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