Work stops at condemned home where 126 cats lived

LANSING TWP. - Attempts by a local real estate broker to sell a home where 126 cats were found two years ago violated the township's building code because the structure remains unsafe for occupancy, an official said Friday. 

Township Supervisor Diontrae Hayes said the home at 1709 Autumn Lane in the Groesbeck neighborhood isn't safe to step foot in and needs "a lot of work" before it can be. 

"It's not safe for anyone to be in at this point," Hayes said. 'We don't know what has been done." 

Township officials inspected the home last week after the State Journal reported June 16 that a "for sale" sign was seen in the yard just two weeks earlier. On Friday, a legal "stop work" notice, dated Tuesday, was posted by the door. 

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"All persons acting contrary to this order or removing or mutilating this notice are liable to arrest unless this action is authorized by the Building Department," the notice reads.

Hayes said if a broker or contractor wants to resume work at the home to get it in sellable condition, then they must renew currently expired permits with the township. She declined to speculate on whether the home could eventually get torn down if efforts cease to improve it. 

"There have been a couple of missteps, but we're optimistic," Hayes said of the home's ability to be brought up to code and sold. "We aren't at the point where it has to be demoed." 

The home, as of Friday, also had two "Danger" stickers posted by the door that state it is unsafe for occupancy. Slipped under the legal "stop work" notice was a sealed letter from Richland, Michigan-based AGS Building Dept. addressed to John Boles.

Boles, a Lansing resident, told the State Journal last week he's the home's broker. He also said the home was taken off the market this month after a "for sale" sign was posted in the yard because it "wasn't quite ready."

Bob Logan, of AGS, declined Friday to comment about the home's condition. The company works with the township on building inspections.

A previous listing for the home on Trulia.com, updated June 6, said the asking price for the four-bedroom house was $137,900.

The website indicated that as of that day, the listing had been up for 28 days.

The listing didn't mention the home being unsafe for occupancy or that over 100 cats, including about 25 found deceased, had been removed. 

About 80 of the cats found alive were later euthanized because of health problems.

Ingham County property records show the home is owned by Melvetta Owens, with tax bills sent to a San Diego, California, address. Attempts to reach Owens on Friday weren't successful. 

The home's taxable value last year, according to records, was listed at $27,798 compared to $55,431 in 2015. 

After the 126 cats were removed from the home in 2015, a mother and daughter who lived there and rented the home were charged with animal cruelty and eventually pleaded no contest.

Lannie Price and Amanda Price were sentenced last fall in Ingham Circuit Court by Judge Rosemarie Aquilina to probation and a year in jail.

The jail time was suspended on the condition they pay restitution, get mental health assessments and avoid having pets. 

About $20,000 of the restitution was expected to go to Ingham County Animal Control to reimburse expenses related to the case. The remaining $40,000 was expected to go to the owner of the house to help make it habitable again. 

Eric Lacy is a reporter for the Lansing State Journal. Contact him at 517-377-1206 or elacy@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricLacy.