Multiple camps along Flat Creek located, cleaned up

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

The city of Cassville has been working with property and business owners to address increasing reports of activity relating to homelessness, including multiple tent camps, property theft and pilfering of trash containers.

City Administrator Richard Asbill said the issue initially drew attention through reports of panhandling, namely, complaints about individuals gathering at busy intersections on Main Street and on Highway 37 near Walmart.

The City Council reviewed a safety ordinance addressing activity at those locations, which Asbill said improved safety in those areas. As the city addressed those concerns, officials began receiving reports of people staying beneath bridges and in wooded areas, including near the 13th Street bridge, Flat Creek bridge and the area around 11th and East streets.

Residents also reported people walking through backyards and crossing private property without permission.

“There was a significant increase of individuals that were around town, and I would view them as unhomed,” Asbill said. “They were sleeping behind businesses, sleeping at the park and doing a number of things that we were having to be more proactive about saying, ‘You can’t be here.’”

Asbill said calls and questions about possible camps have increased steadily over the past 6-8 months, with a particularly noticeable rise during the last three months.

The city has worked with property owners on several encampment cleanups. Some of the first sites were relatively small, with one or two people using a tent, tarp or pallet to create a place to sleep in heavy brush, mostly along Flat Creek.

Other locations were larger, with multiple tents and evidence of several people staying at a site.

One of the first camps discovered was near White Funeral Home, Asbill said. Other sites addressed by the city included areas behind Ken’s Collision and the former Justin Boot property, behind the Fox Ridge neighborhood, and along Flat Creek behind McDonald’s and Sonic.

Asbill said officials contact the property owner to determine whether the owner is aware of the activity and whether anyone has permission to be there. Police officers then visit the site to determine whether anyone is present. With the property owner’s permission, officers can issue trespassing notices to people who are staying there unauthorized.

Once an encampment is vacated, the city’s Public Works Department then assists with cleanup.

“We’re trying to work with our property owners,” Asbill said. “We dispose of trash and other debris and try to do our best to clean that up and leave it better than when we found it.”

The condition of some sites has been significant, he said. Officials have found separate areas used for sleeping and campfires, along with piles of discarded trash and belongings.

Asbill said people staying at the camps frequently search through dumpsters and neighborhood trash cans, taking items they want and leaving the rest scattered around the property. He also expressed concern that some items found at camps may have been taken from unlocked garages or storage sheds.

“What we’re finding on these camps, unfortunately, is that there’s very little respect for the property owner,” he said. “Complete disregard would probably be a better term.”

The amount of debris has required substantial cleanup efforts.

“It’s significant,” he said. “We filled up one whole dumpster, a 4-yard dumpster, with just two of the camps.”

Cleaning up an encampment does not necessarily mean the people staying there have left the city.

Asbill said the city does not formally track people experiencing homelessness, but officials have seen individuals relocate to other locations. The city has also received new reports of possible camps, some just outside of city limits, and is working to determine whether those reports are credible.

Officials recently became aware of locations outside city limits near Hilltop where people were reportedly staying in backyards with permission. Asbill said the city plans to contact property owners when appropriate and notify the Barry County Sheriff’s Office so deputies are aware of the locations.

Another wrinkle in the effort is criminal status. One individual who is homeless is also a registered sex offender. Police Chief Donnie Privett said his department has submitted a Class A misdemeanor charge to Barry County Prosecutor Amy Boxx for Larry Brown, a registered sex offender who on Thursday was allegedly sitting on the sidewalk on Main Street across from Cassville Intermediate School for about 10 minutes. The charge is for “certain people not to be within 500 feet of a school,” and a repeat offense could result in a felony charge.

According to online records, Brown was convicted of “lewd or indecent proposals or acts as to a child under 16” in March of 1997 in Guymon, Okla., when he was 27 and the victim was a 15-year-old female.

Brown was arrested by Cassville Police on Thursday and held in the Barry County jail for 24 hours, released on Friday. Privett said School Protection Officer John Lueckenhoff and a staff member at the school district were instrumental in alerting police of Brown’s activity near the school.

For residents and business owners, Asbill said the first step is to know what is happening on their property.

“If you own a property, whether you’re in the city or out of the city, you probably should go and just kind of take a quick survey of your property and know if anyone is accessing your property or camping on your property without your permission,” he said.

Asbill recommended that property owners periodically inspect undeveloped land, wooded areas and other places where someone could establish a camp without being noticed.

Asbill also encouraged residents to secure garages, sheds and other storage areas, particularly when household items or equipment are kept outside.

“It’s important to secure your property as best you can,” he said.

The city has found household items and other belongings — including saddles — at camps that have been cleaned up.

Asbill also encouraged residents and businesses to report concerns rather than assume someone else has already contacted officials.

“If you have a lead or if you believe that there’s something going on, call the non-emergency line (417-847-4111) and report it,” he said. “If you feel that this is an emergency or you feel unsafe, call 9-1-1 and report it.”

Communication is particularly important for businesses, he said. City officials have spoken with business owners and the Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce about ways to reduce unauthorized access, including securing back doors and posting “no loitering” or “no trespassing” signs. Businesses also should keep dumpsters and trash cans on private property until collection whenever possible.

It is not illegal, Asbill said, for individuals to go through trash cans placed on the street. However, if the trash cans are accessed on private property, that can result in a trespassing charge.

Beyond property damage and litter, Asbill said the city is concerned about the potential public health effects of trash and waste being left in wooded areas and along Flat Creek.

“It’s a significant public health issue because we have individuals that are just dumping trash into Flat Creek,” Asbill said. “That’s going to go downstream. It’s going to be polluting things.”

He also expressed concern about human waste being left near the creek and the possibility of it entering the water.

“No one wants to be in Flat Creek and know that upstream, people were dumping trash and human waste in,” he said.

Asbill said the city’s ultimate goal is to protect private property, address public safety and maintain the community’s quality of life.

“A lot of people don’t know what they can’t see,” he said. “We try to be as discreet as possible, but we’re trying. I want our community to be safe, and I want to take pride in what we have here.”