LONG BEACH — Onlookers covered their mouths and recorded on their cell phones as a flea-infested former drug house was demolished last week in Long Beach.

The home and sprawling property, at 2403 and 2407 Washington Ave. N, had been the scorn of the city and a nuisance to the neighborhood for nearly 20 years, officials and neighbors said.

‘A nuisance’

The property, owned by Kenneth A. Herman, was long on the city code enforcement radar for a variety of reasons, from yard debris to drug sales.

“The city has fought with this house for 18 years. We’ve battled and battled,” said Long Beach Mayor Jerry Phillips as he stood along Washington Avenue and observed the demolition alongside about a dozen relieved neighbors and onlookers. “They’ve had abandoned cars, boats and illegal trailers. We’ve had to make them haul stuff out of here all the time. It’s been a nuisance to the neighborhood for over 18 years. We would get complaints about people coming and going with drugs. It’s just been ugly.”

Pull Quote

‘The city has fought with this house for 18 years. … We would get complaints about people coming and going with drugs. It’s just been ugly.

Jerry Phillips, Long Beach mayor

As two Caterpillar excavator operators from Penny Excavating carried out the demolition last Wednesday, Oct. 18, neighbors expressed relief.

“It’s nice to have the drug house gone from across the street from the bus stop,” said one neighbor who asked to remain anonymous. “I hope they remove the whole thing.”

Two children formerly lived at the property along with nine cats, which have since been removed by social services and the Humane Society.

“It’s sad, but their children have to be in a better place,” said another neighbor, who also asked to remain anonymous due to the nature of the situation.

A long battle

A public notice was posted on the property declaring the site ‘unfit for human habitation’ on Dec. 6, 2021 by Long Beach building inspector/fire marshal Richard Jacoby, mostly due to to the dilapidated condition of the buildings.

“The City of Long Beach has been more than patient waiting for the cleanup and repairs,” the letter stated.

However, before the city could commence on the demolition, they first had to clear additional hurdles due to a rampant pest infestation.

“There were extra steps in this because we had to call Eradipest out to take care of all the fleas, because they couldn’t even get into the floors or walls to do the asbestos testing. The fleas were so bad that they were in the yard,” Phillips said.

“We’re going to try to recoup what the city has in [it] when they sell the property.”

The house and adjacent buildings, covering nearly 5,000 square feet and two lots, was sold to Herman in 2005 for $100,000, according to property records on TaxSifter.

On Dec. 23, 2021, operatives in conjunction with the Long Beach Police Department, South Bend Police Department and Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife raided the house and located several types of alleged drugs.

“During the search of the residence, drug task force members located several suspected morphine pills, fentanyl pills, and suspected heroin,” Pacific County Chief Criminal Deputy Pat Matlock stated in a December 2021 press release. “Task force members also located several articles of drug paraphernalia indicative of narcotics sales.”

Herman, currently incarcerated in the Washington State Penitentiary, was arrested at the scene and was subsequently booked into Pacific County Jail and later pleaded guilty to several drug-related charges in Pacific County Superior Court.

Recouping costs

The property, including both lots, was estimated to have a 2024 market value of about $223,000 prior to the demolition.

The city has invested around $50,000 in cleanup.

“That’s the abatement and everything tied into this. When this all gets done it will go to the courts and get auctioned off and then we’ll get our money back. We think the two lots are going to be worth about $200,000,” Phillips said.

Recent Long Beach code-enforcement demolitions followed similar outcomes in October 2019 and February 2021, including a former pharmacy at 1315 Pacific Ave. S in Long Beach and a trio of buildings at 1315 Washington Ave. S.

“We’ve done several [demolitions of condemned houses] during my eight years as mayor,” Phillips said. “We’ve also had a few where we sent the letter and they took it down themselves.”

The city will continue its code enforcement crackdown as officials turn their sights to a single-wide home on Idaho Street next.

“We’ve already gone through the legal process and removed four or five cars and a couple motorcycles. Their carport had caved in and became a hazard. So that’s the next one coming down in the next 30 days,” Phillips said.