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Abandoned eyesore has woman pushing for change

Posted at 5:55 PM, May 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-12 17:55:47-04

JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind. – A house along U.S. Highway 31 in Franklin is not only ugly and abandoned, but it’s a safety hazard. So we went on a search for answers to find out who is responsible.

The house sits just off U.S. 31 and County Road East 150 South.

A neighbor says you can call it a landmark of sorts. Her kids call it “The Monster House.”

“People definitely recognize this as the crappy house on 31 that I live next to,” neighbor Megan Schmidt said.

Schmidt doesn’t hold back when talking about the eyesore.

“The basement is completely filled with water,” she said. “If you look down the basement stairs, you can see one of the steps and then it's just water. The floor is not very stable. If you were to slip and fall in there you probably wouldn't come out.”

Her kids honestly believe a monster lives inside because it’s so creepy looking.

The ramshackle house comes with an open garage door and an open door to the inside, which is also beaten, tattered and falling apart.

Schmidt says as a parent of two young kids, it’s very concerning.

She says the house has sat abandoned for years. Online records show the property changed hands from an investment company to Wong Ventures, LLC, in December.

Schmidt says attempts to simply buy the property from a representative never panned out for her.

“I’m mad. I’m frustrated. I’m tired of it,” she said.

She wants the owner to at least board up the house or cut the grass. She is concerned kids could get hurt in there.

We reached out to those connected to Wong Ventures, the listed owner. We have yet to hear back.

But Johnson County officials did give us some insight into the issue.

Right now, there is no county ordinance that would allow Johnson County officials to take action on an abandoned building or failing structure.

But because of problem properties like this one, we’re told the county recently requested permission to draft an unsafe building law that would crack down on structures like this.

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Follow Mike Pelton on Twitter: @MikePeltonrtv6