Pubdate: Tue, 31 Jan 2017
Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2017 Postmedia Network
Contact:  http://www.calgaryherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66
Author: Meghan Potkins

DRUG HOUSE SHUT DOWN

Police received almost 100 complaints

Neighbours living near a well-known Coventry Hills drug house are
welcoming news that the address has been shut down by court order and
will be listed for sale.

After more than 95 calls to police in just two years - including a
violent hostage situation that rattled neighbours - the home at 71
Coventry Road N.E. has been boarded up by Alberta's Safer Communities
and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit.

"That house has been nothing but a pain in our side for years," said
neighbour Dustin Formos, who lives a few doors down with his three
young boys.

Formos recalled a disturbing encounter he had in 2015 with a man who
had emerged from the home bound with duct tape and bloodied, claiming
to have been tortured and held captive in the basement.

The owner, who lived in the home along with a revolving cast of
tenants, has so far complied with the court order to vacate the home
for 45 days, after which time she has agreed to list the property for
sale.

SCAN has been authorized to board up the house, change the locks and
erect a fence around the property.

Insp. Mike Letourneau said the SCAN unit began investigating the
property following a barrage of complaints from neighbours starting in
August 2015.

"It was extremely disruptive for this community," Letourneau said.
"This has been a real problem, not just for the community but for the
Calgary Police Service."

CPS acting Sgt. Steve Kelly said the owner seemed to have "turned a
wilfully blind eye" to the criminal activity going on in the home.
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MAP posted-by: Matt