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Troublesome property demolished after look inside spells disaster

1 month 1 week 5 days ago Sunday, September 01 2024 Sep 1, 2024 September 01, 2024 11:13 PM September 01, 2024 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - A house that's caused a lot of problems for one neighborhood has been torn down. The property on Houston Drive in Baton Rouge has attracted a lot of unwanted visitors who have terrorized neighbors for years.

It took less than a day for the house to be demolished. What went on there is now a bad memory. Cory Bech lives a few houses down from the property and says he's glad to see the changes.

"There's a lot of peace back into our neighborhood, it's quiet again like it used to be," he said.

Bech first spoke to 2 On Your Side in July. He had recently recorded a video of the inside of the house and shared it to social media where it received several hundred comments. The windows and doors were broken, cabinets and walls were missing, a shopping cart sat in the kitchen and there was trash everywhere. Bech says the house smelled like a garbage dump.

For years, neighbors watched homeless people coming and going from the property. One man, Timothy Willeman, has been accused of terrifying the neighborhood. Multiple videos show Willeman visiting different properties, rolling in the grass, swinging from street poles, and digging through trash. Shawn Sellars said many people have been scared to go outside.

"It's terrifying the fact that we have to live like that," Stellars said

The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, EMS, and St. George Fire Department have all been called to Houston Drive a lot.

"If something isn't done I'm scared of what will happen," Stellars said.

After a couple of stories aired about the neighborhood's concerns, changes started to happen at the house. It was boarded up, and cleaned. The grass was mowed and items were bagged and placed at the curb.

On August 16, Bech woke up to the sound of heavy machinery and walked outside to find the house was being torn down.

"I'm digging it," Bech said.

With the house gone, Bech and others hope the neighborhood will stay quiet. However, neighbors tell 2 On Your Side they have spotted some familiar faces in the area including Willeman who has a warrant out for his arrest.

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