Page 4 February 24, 2010
The Newscaster/Nature Coast News
Real Estate Today
Distress call leads Inglis Police to
cannabis plantsFeb. 16,house confiscation of
in resulted in the
Tenants Get Protection During Foreclosure
A Guest Commentary by Darryl Diamond
An emergency call to law enforcement on
cases. Conversely, if you are purchasing a
marijuana plants and drug charges being filed with the State Attorney s Office against two
foreclosure home that is
I m happy to inform all tenants out
Inglis residents.
presently occupied with a
there that if you are renting a home that goes
According to the arrest report, Tracie Renee Hunt, 39, contacted the Levy Coun-
tenant that is paying rent
into foreclosure, you are now protected from
ty Sheriff s Office (LCSO) to complain that she d had an argument with her boyfriend,
at fair market value, you
being thrown immediately into the street.
27-year-old Jonathan Erlandson, and he d made threats of suicide. Hunt fled to a nearby
should be aware of your
The “Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act”
residence to get away from Erlandson. Hunt continued to talk with a dispatcher, stating that
obligation in this area.
recently enacted, states that if the home you
Erlandson was out of control, using illegal drugs and threatening suicide.
Another twist to
are renting has gone into foreclosure the
Officers and deputies with the Inglis Police Department (IPD) and LCSO arrived
the foreclosure story is that many lenders in
new owners must allow a certain minimum
at Hunt s and Erlandson s residence, located at 47 Lois Ave. They were unable to locate Er-
the Orlando area are asking the owners of
period of time for you to find other housing.
landson. Officer Swiggett requested that dispatch ask Ms. Hunt if the residence was locked
homes in foreclosure to stay in their homes
As explained in this months Florida
so officers could check on Erlandson. Ofc. Swiggett and Dep. Prine announced their pres-
for many months into the foreclosure pro-
Realtor Magazine, under this act, a bona fide
ence and entered Hunt s and Erlandson s residence by way of the back door. Erlandson was
cess, even if they are 1 year or more behind
tenant is a person that has a written lease or
not located, and officers determined that he d left before they arrived. A BOLO (be on the
in their payments. The benefit of having
verbal periodic tenancy --commonly know
lookout) was issued for Erlandson through the LCSO.
someone living in the home so it does not
as a month to month. A bona fide lease or
The report stated, while officers were checking the residence for Erlandson, they
become a target of thieves, and having the
tenancy is an arms-length transaction with
saw, in plain view, several cannabis smoking pipes. In the bathroom, they saw an unspeci-
heat and air staying on to hold off mildew is
someone who is not the original homeowner
fied number of cannabis plants.
attractive to many lenders.
and who is a tenant that is willing to con-
Officers spoke with Ms. Hunt, who stated the argument was verbal (not physical),
If you are going into foreclosure
tinue paying rent at fair market value.
that she was concerned for Erlandson s welfare due to his drug use and suicide threats. She
speak to your lender about this contingency.
A tenant with a written bona fide
told Ofc. Swiggett that the cannabis plants belonged to Erlandson, and she was aware of
Another little nugget of knowledge for the
lease must be allowed to live in the property
them, but had feared notifying law enforcement about them due to possible repercussion
“For sale by owner” group is that if you ad-
for the remainder of the lease in most cases.
from Erlandson. She said that another person (referred to on the report as a “witness”), had
vertise your property with your phone num-
However if the buyers of this foreclosure
brought the plants to Erlandson, about two weeks earlier.
ber, even if you are on the no call list, an
property prove that they are going to use
Ofc. Swiggett spoke with the witness at his residence. He said he knew the plants
agent can contact you if they have a specific
it as their primary residence, then they still
were at the residence because Erlandson had shown them to him. He denied bringing the
buyer for your property.
have to give the tenants 90 days notice to
plants to Erlandson or giving them to him. The witness speculated that Erlandson had got-
However if any real estate agent
find other housing.
ten the plants from a man by the name of “Pete.” He also stated that the plants had been at
contacts you as a “FSBO seller” strictly for
It is unclear how lenders will in-
Erlandson s residence for at least a couple of weeks.
the listing you can ask them not to call you
terpret some of the act s provisions as they
The cannabis plants were removed from the pots and weighed at the IPD. They
again, and they have to comply. I ll see you
place the property up for sale, but the 90 day
weighed approximately 125 grams. Other items taken into evidence were two spoons and
around “The Campus”.
notice for you tenants should prevail in most
Squawk Box - Continued from page 1
three hypodermic needles (which are pending lab analysis), “several paraphernalia items,”
and two “medium sized” containers of cannabis seeds. Several prescription bottles of mis-
cellaneous narcotics, prescribed to Ms. Hunt, were located. She told Ofc. Swiggett that she
traffic by a concrete barrier. A 5 foot paved shoulder will be on the north side of the bridge
no longer takes the medication and requested that it be disposed of.
ending near the Withlacoochee River Bridge in Inglis. This paved shoulder will make it
Sworn complaints were filed with the State Attorney s Office against both Erland-
possible for folks in South Levy to cross the barge canal safely and access the Greenways
son and Hunt, on possible possession of cannabis more than 20 grams and possession of
and Trails.
drug paraphernalia. The report stated that additional charges could be filed, pending on the
This project is awesome and a real blessing to those that enjoy hiking and biking the
lab analysis of the residue on the spoons.
Nature Coast. When applying for grants, connecting established areas and parks gives extra
Coastal
Hair Port
points to grant funding. Inglis Commissioner Dick Kellman, who has been active in the
Park to Park Bike Path in Inglis since it’s inception, will find this a real asset to the future of
at Plaza 40
the Inglis/Yankeetown bike path plans.
Carting
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