From NewsChannel 9: The owners of a mobile home park in Ooltewah have agreed to treat residents differently after a judge agreed to a settlement i
From NewsChannel 9: The owners of a mobile home park in Ooltewah have agreed to treat residents differently after a judge agreed to a settlement in a lawsuit.
We first told you about the Auburn Hills Mobile Home Park on Bill Reed Road back in April 2020, when the Easter Sunday tornado left one man in the neighborhood dead and caused significant damage in the area.
Just days after the storm struck, deputies arrested the park’s managers, Kimberly and Steven West, on charges of theft over $60,000 and criminal conspiracy to commit theft over $60,000.
Those arrests came after residents filed complaints with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, claiming the management was withholding money intended to go to the tornado victims who live there.
Deputies later arrested Kimberly West a second time and charged her with two felony counts of coercion of a witness.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti later barred the Wests from setting foot on the property they once managed.
Now, a settlement has been reached in the case in Hamilton County Chancery Court, with help from Attorney General Skrmetti.
Among other things, the owners of Auburn Hills must agree to several things, including avoiding telling tenants payments can only be made by cash or money order, telling residents they would provide temporary housing after a natural disaster, and withholding emergency aid from residents.
They also need to resolve all sewer and septic tank issues by the end of next year.
And park owner Ronald Weiss has to pay a $750,000 fine to the state of Tennessee.
Read full the settlement below:
