Lee County resident Sandra Reed filed a complaint about a house on the corner of Endoline Drive and Augusta Court for having white writing on both the side and front of the house.
/ Colby Gallagher
LEE COUNTY, GA --
Neighbors in this Lee County neighborhood left their homes to find an unwanted decoration.
"I noticed when I came out the front that the houses and the fence had writing all over it and I was like, okay, something's not right," said Janice Zipperer, who lives two buildings down.
Concerned, the neighbors called the Lee County Sheriff's Office who followed the protocol for these types of complaints.
"They're going to answer the call for service and complete the incident report and an investigation will be done. We'll determine whether or not it's gang-related," said Corporal Eddie Burgess who works in the Gang Unit.
The Gang Unit determined this case was gang-related. The graffiti is now clean but neighbors say they're afraid this will cause more bad things in the neighborhood - and experts say these are valid worries.
“It's an eye sore and usually when you let stuff like that go, it just gets worse and worse and that's where your criminal activity will be found,” said Lee County Code Enforcement Officer Ben Roberts.
Neighbors say cars have since been vandalized and they've had enough.
"That same day I went in and put in my 30-day notice because I did not want to have my son have to be around gang-related activities," said neighborhood member Shannon Nichols.
The remaining neighbors say they plan to stick together by creating a neighborhood watch group. Organizer Sandra Reed plans to hold the first meeting on Tuesday, July 31st at Carter’s Fried Chicken on Cedric Street at 6 p.m.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWFXL