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PTC vows to evict bogus renters

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@thecitizennews.com

A woman renting a home in Peachtree City was arrested Saturday for bilking a government housing program of over $27,000, police said.

Similar arrests will be forthcoming in the near future, promised Peachtree City Police Chief James Murray.

Carolyn Redding, 105 Kings Ridge Drive in the Wynnmeade subdivision, was arrested on felony charges of making false statements and writings and fraudulently obtaining public assistance, police said.

As of Tuesday morning, dispossessory proceedings to have Redding evicted from the house have been filed, Murray noted.

City officials noted the effort is to help Wynnmeade homeowners with “specific renters in the subdivision who were disrupting their day-to-day lives.”

Murray said police have responded to the Redding residence for numerous calls over the past year, including one shooting and other fights and disturbances. Such incidents drain the department’s manpower, but they also led police to work with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs on the housing fraud case, Murray said.

In this case, Redding used the Section 8 federal housing program and claimed that more people lived in the home than who actually lived there, Murray said.

“There are other arrests coming down the pipe,” Murray said. He noted that the arrests would take place in other areas of the city also. “It’s definitely not just Wynnmeade.”

Murray said Peachtree City Mayor Steve Brown played a key role in starting the crackdown, as did Geoffrey Parker of the DCA and the Fayette County Department of Family and Children Services, which helped determine whether children lived at the home.

“This was a great coordinated effort,” Murray said. “They took $27,000 from people who need that money to live, such as the disabled.”

Murray also lauded the cooperation from the Wynnmeade Homeowners Association. Residents shouldn’t have to put up with problems caused by landlords who don’t care about what goes on at their property, Murray added.

“The good people who live there have had enough,” Murray said, encouraging other neighborhoods to report chronic problems to police.

Brown said he and several Wynnmeade residents met with DCA in June, learning how the subsidized housing program could be abused and defrauded.

“Since that meeting, I have made it my mission to go after the people who violate the system, cause disturbance in the neighborhoods, and tear down our standards,” Brown said. “This effort is now beginning to bear some fruit, and I applaud DCA for working so diligently with the city.”

“Our City Council has recognized the importance of revitalizing some of the areas that have been allowed to fall into decline, and we realize that when these areas improve, our entire city improves,” Brown said.