EMS call leads borough police to remove squatters from condemned downtown properties
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SENTINEL PHOTO - Shenandoah Police and Fire and other agencies gather outside 21-23 N. Main Street on Dec. 26, 2019.
By Kaylee Lindenmuth | [email protected]
SHENANDOAH – Two people are in custody on warrants after an EMS call revealed squatters in condemned properties, where police said power was being stolen, among a host of other code violations.
Borough police at the scene said they were called to 21-23 North Main Street around 7:30pm for an EMS call at one of the apartments. Both apartments were posted unfit for human inhabitation or use.
Inside, they said they found multiple people with warrants, “drugs and drug paraphernalia everywhere,” and various code violations.
“We found numerous violations. Unsafe wiring, wiring jumped, they were stealing power,” said Patrolman William Moyer. “Because of that, we had the power cut by PP&L and then boarded [the property] up so no one else could go in there.”
Moyer said ceilings were collapsing inside the building, water was in outlets, which, coupled with the unsafe wiring, created a significant fire hazard.
“We probably prevented a block from burning to the ground,” Moyer told the Sentinel.
The two taken into custody had warrants for outstanding incidents and were arraigned last night. James Hall, 46, of Ringtown, was arrested on a warrant from Berks County as well as a DUI warrant from Shenandoah, and Cheyanne Sensenbach, 26, of Shenandoah, was arrested on a felony drug delivery warrant from Shenandoah. Sensenbach was arraigned and unable to post $25,000 bail.
The two properties are owned by Glenn Paterson, according to the Schuylkill County Parcel Locator. Police said Paterson passed away a few months ago.
Shenandoah fire marshals were called to the scene to assist with boarding the properties up, and police officers from West Mahanoy Township, Mahanoy Township, Mahanoy City, and Frackville assisted at the scene.
It’s not clear if anyone else, besides the pair taken into custody, was found in the property, or the nature and extent of the original EMS call.
As of press time, emergency services remained at the scene finishing boarding the property.
Updated 10:11am 12/27/2019 – Names of pair arrested added.
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