FARMINGVILLE, NY-- Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko and Councilman Keith Romaine today announced a successful action executed by the Town’s Quality of Life Task Force, which resulted in the issuance of 20 appearance tickets for various violations of the Town and State fire and building codes and the condemnation of a house in Mastic. The property, located at 120 North Titmus Road, was occupied by a registered Level 2 sex offender, and was co-owned by the Assistant Principal of William Paca Middle School in Mastic Beach.
“Today the Quality of Life Task Force is announcing loud and clear that the Town of Brookhaven will not be a safe haven for slumlords. Dangerous structures like this house are unfit for living in. They are a blight on our communities and will no longer be tolerated,” said Supervisor Lesko.
“My office initiated the investigation into this property after receiving complaints from neighbors in the area, and the president of the local civic association, and immediately started working to shut it down. This house is supposed to be a single family home – it was never intended to have multiple apartments in it. And with people living there without working smoke detectors, alarm systems, dangerous wiring and other safety measures, the actions our investigators and inspectors took were clearly needed to protect the health, safety and welfare of the people living the neighborhood,” said Councilman Romaine. “Closing this building has not only protected lives in the community, but will also improve the quality of life in the area, and allow us to return this house to a proper use.”
Brookhaven Town building inspectors, public safety officers and law department investigators executed the action on Wednesday, June 10. Inside the house, which allegedly had been converted into a multi-family dwelling and was being rented without the benefit of a rental registration permit, they discovered numerous violations, and found the building unfit for human occupancy. According to Town investigators, the structure had no basic utilities including electricity, hot water, heating or cooking facilities, and was being serviced by various generators, heaters and a makeshift propane-cooking surface.
The house was occupied by at least two men, one of which is a registered Level 2 sex offender who was convicted in June 1996 of rape in the third degree for raping a 10-year-old girl. After condemning the property, Town investigators directed the occupants of the home to vacate the premises immediately, and contacted the Suffolk County Department of Social Services Emergency Housing Unit in an attempt to assist in the re-location of the displaced tenants.
The house is owned by Robert A. King, of Smithtown, and Gino J. Giardini, of Nesconset. King was served the 20 appearance tickets at William Paca Middle School, where he is an assistant principal in the William Floyd School District. The tickets are returnable in the Sixth District Court, Patchogue on August 6, 2009.