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FAST FACTS:
Scott.Noll@wreg.com
(Memphis 9/22/09) Neighbors call it an eyesore, and to thieves looking to cash-in on scrap metal it's a target.
So why did Memphis City Schools tell police to let a suspected thief go last weekend?
It's a decision that has neighbors fuming.
This latest blight battle is brewing in the 600 block of Richmond Avenue, near South Parkway and Lauderdale.
It was just about a year ago, WREG News Channel 3 Investigators exposed that MCS actually budgets about $370,000 a year, of your tax dollars, to cover theft and vandalism.
With that kind of money, you might wonder, why is at least one bad guy getting a free pass?
"We heard banging and clanging," recalled Cheryl Marty. The South Memphis homeowner awoke to the sound Tuesday morning.
"It took us a second to figure out where it was coming from," said Marty.
Then, she looked across the street, at the Memphis City Schools-owned Southside Boys and Girls Club.
The clanging that she heard was what's become the familiar sound of a thief, ripping metal window frames from the vacant building.
"It was the same gentleman the school board refused to press charges against, came back to help himself for more windows," said Marty.
An MCS spokesperson said the district didn't press charges when the thief was caught Saturday, because a supervisor believed it was a vagrant looking for shelter, and because property wasn't destroyed.
But Memphis Police say school security told them the district wouldn't prosecute because the property was abandoned.
A report says the suspect was released, and school property was returned to the premises.
- Thief let go by Memphis City Schools accused of stealing from building again
- Police say school district didn't want to prosecute
- People near abandoned school-owned properties upset
Scott.Noll@wreg.com
(Memphis 9/22/09) Neighbors call it an eyesore, and to thieves looking to cash-in on scrap metal it's a target.
So why did Memphis City Schools tell police to let a suspected thief go last weekend?
It's a decision that has neighbors fuming.
This latest blight battle is brewing in the 600 block of Richmond Avenue, near South Parkway and Lauderdale.
It was just about a year ago, WREG News Channel 3 Investigators exposed that MCS actually budgets about $370,000 a year, of your tax dollars, to cover theft and vandalism.
With that kind of money, you might wonder, why is at least one bad guy getting a free pass?
"We heard banging and clanging," recalled Cheryl Marty. The South Memphis homeowner awoke to the sound Tuesday morning.
"It took us a second to figure out where it was coming from," said Marty.
Then, she looked across the street, at the Memphis City Schools-owned Southside Boys and Girls Club.
The clanging that she heard was what's become the familiar sound of a thief, ripping metal window frames from the vacant building.
"It was the same gentleman the school board refused to press charges against, came back to help himself for more windows," said Marty.
An MCS spokesperson said the district didn't press charges when the thief was caught Saturday, because a supervisor believed it was a vagrant looking for shelter, and because property wasn't destroyed.
But Memphis Police say school security told them the district wouldn't prosecute because the property was abandoned.
A report says the suspect was released, and school property was returned to the premises.
