Crime & Safety

Ask a Deputy: Nuisance Letters

A reader asks whether the LCSO should be notified when offending neighbors move.

Got a question you've always wanted to ask someone in law enforcement? Trying asking a member of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office through Ask a Deputy. Readers submit questions and the LCSO responds. Send questions to dusty@patch.com or submit them below.

Question:

If a caution note has been placed on a residence for narcotics use and those residents move to another location, should the sheriff be notified of the move so that the caution note can be placed on the new residence for the individuals involved?

Answer:

Nuisance letters are specific and usually come after continued criminal activity at a particular location. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office will most often post common nuisance letters pertaining to narcotics violations or illegal alcohol activity. At a particular location, letters do not follow residents as they are tied to locations, not individuals. For example:

Joe Smith is renting a home and is caught selling narcotics. Deputies send a nuisance letter to the owner of the home advising that narcotics activity is taking place at his residence. The homeowner then either lets Mr. Smith stay or risks being charged with maintaining a common nuisance (class 1 misdemeanor, 2nd conviction class 6 felony). If the owner elects to evict the subject and another subject rents the same house, and also sells narcotics, the LCSO would send a new letter as the original nuisance was abated.

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