During a morning hearing on March 31 at the Milam County Courthouse in Cameron, County Judge Steve Young issued a temporary injunction that will keep the owner and the hearing defendant, Ira Richard Thrasher Jr., out of a downtown Rockdale building until further court action.
The hearing, which Thrasher did not attend, granted the injunction sought by the city of Rockdale based on evidence gathered from witness accounts and photos of the building’s interior taken during an inspection March 18.
Rockdale City Manager Barbara Holly testified as to the condition of the inside of the building saying the place looked like a “rat’s nest.”
She also said there was no bathing facility or kitchen, and the building was neither fit nor safe for habitation.
Her sworn affidavit of March 18 was also submitted into evidence at the hearing.
“The individuals are living in the building without safe electricity, paid running water or sewage. Further, the interior of the building was covered with litter, debris and rubbish and therefore it is not sanitary. The building is unfit for habitation and constitutes a hazard to the safety, health or public welfare because of inadequate maintenance, unsanitary conditions, dilapidation, obsolescence, disaster damage and it constitutes a fire hazard,” she said in the affidavit.
The fire marshal’s report also issued March 18 noted that the building had no fire extinguisher, sprinkler system, smoke alarms, emergency lighting and the exits were not marked.
The judge determined March 31 that the condition of the building had not changed from what it was in at the time of the March 18 inspection saying there had been no attempt to correct the fire code violations, which create a serious fire hazard, or any violations of the Health and Safety Code.
“Therefore, the Court will stay the course and issue a temporary injunction,” to prevent further violations of health and safety laws. Rockdale will continue to control access to the property and shall remove anyone living, staying or occupying the property at 106 West Cameron.
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