Andy Straley and his son Leroy say they disrupted drug users trespassing at what should have been a vacant home Wednesday, and want to see more community policing.
KDLG: On Wednesday afternoon, a Dillingham man and his son alerted police to trespassing and drug activity at a house on Cessna Drive. Andy Straley says the house is owned by his ex-wife, who had called and asked him to check out the place after she'd received numerous calls of the possible problems there.
"She says there's supposed to be nobody in the house and asked me and my son if we could go board the house up and put 'No Trespassing-Keep Out' signs up. We went to go do that, and there were a bunch of cars there," he said, recognizing one vehicle in particular that had been transporting Christian Young around Dillingham for several weeks.
"We called Chief Pasquariello. The police showed up and they found some illegal drugs and a rifle there," said Straley.
Police did not disclose details of their investigation at the house, calling the matter a dispute between a landlord and a tenant. Some paraphernalia was seized.
Straley, a former cop, said he wasn't disappointed that no one was arrested. He wants users to get help, not jail time. The occupant was told to vacate, and Straley plans to board the house up Thursday evening.
Now Straley is shifting his focus to protecting his property on Emperor Road, where he said a chainsaw, weed eater, and two large gas cans have been stolen from this summer. He said he'll be using cameras to keep an eye on his property and what he believes are drug sales happening all hours along Emperor Road. Straley hopes others will do the same, and maybe a Neighborhood Watch program will take shape.
"Here in Nerka, there's cameras already for about a quarter mile of Emperor. Then they're going to be all the way down around the corner on Widgeon Lane within the next week," he said. "These little ... you're effecting everybody's personal property rights and the values of their properties. So we're just going to protect our belongings from the drug-related crime that seems to be just sweeping this town like nothing I've ever seen."
The National Crime Prevention Council has recommendations and tips for starting a Neighborhood Watch program, as does the National Sheriff's Association. State troopers in Dillingham said Wednesday they would happily partner with residents in the community on such a project.
Reach the author at dave@kdlg.org or 907.842.5281.