I have provided a letter for the public to review. In summary, members of the Waynesville Police Department have been falsely accused of wrongdoing. When a person fails to make their house payments, the lending agency (Bank) will take them to court for a property foreclosure. When the courts foreclose on a property, the Sheriff’s Office will serve an eviction notice identifying the date the person(s) must be out of the dwelling. Unfortunately, when the person(s) refuses to leave the property, the local jurisdiction is called in for a trespassing complaint. This is not a part of our duties that we enjoy doing, but we work at the discretion of the courts under local, state and federal laws. This is what has occurred at the property on Chapman Street in Waynesville. This is a civil issue between the lending agency (Bank) and the person that owned the home; it has nothing to do with the Waynesville Police (as proven in the attached letter).
Our responsibility is to protect the people and the properties in our jurisdiction. If the court has taken a property away, that property then belongs to the lending agency. The lending agency and realtor (hired by the lending agency) contacted us and filed an official report. We responded and handled it the same way we would handle any property that was being trespassed on in the Village. If anyone has any questions about the situation, feel free to contact our office.
Chief Copeland