The Orleans District Attorney is considering criminal charges against the owner of the Willows Apartments

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Prosecutors say a bat infestation could be the tipping point that leads to criminal charges against the owner of The Willows apartments.

Code enforcement discovered the infestation at the New Orleans East complex on Wednesday (Oct. 16), marking the latest in a series of challenges for tenants who say they have suffered for years in terrible living conditions.

City Council President Helena Moreno said code enforcement and rodent control specialists found bats by opening a ceiling in one of the units.

“In fact, they believe there is a significant infestation. They even found a dead bat. The conditions were terrible,” Moreno said.

Moreno further described the scene as shocking: “The rodent people were overwhelmed. The rodent guy we had there was like, ‘Oh my God.'”

The complex, owned by a religious nonprofit based in Tennessee, has a long history of code violations. FOX 8 has documented the substandard living conditions on the property for years, often accompanying code enforcement inspectors on their tours.

The Willows has accumulated dozens of code violations. In June 2022, then-Code Enforcement Director Thomas Mulligan noted, “They actually appear to be one of the units that is a chronic problem.”

According to extensive reporting by FOX 8 Defenders, the New Orleans City Council revoked the nonprofit’s tax-exempt status earlier this year.

RELATED COVERAGE

The New Orleans City Council votes unanimously to revoke the tax-exempt status of The Willows apartments

New Orleans wants to revoke Willow’s apartment’s tax-exempt status because of housing violations

Man was shot Tuesday evening at the Willows Apartments in East New Orleans

Negotiations are underway to sell the troubled Willows apartments

FOX 8 Defenders: Murder victim’s sister files wrongful death lawsuit against The Willows

The move came after changes to the state constitution allowed the city to take action and council members, frustrated by the lack of improvement, said conditions remained unacceptable.

“It still appears that the problems remain,” Moreno said.

Moreno then contacted District Attorney Jason Williams.

“This morning I finally reached out to the district attorney’s office and asked what we can do to potentially move forward with some criminal charges against the landlords because there are criminal provisions in the penal code,” Moreno explained. “He is committed to working with me on the possibilities of this event.”

Moreno emphasized that too many Willows residents live in deplorable conditions and the bat infestation is just another reason the city needs to step in to protect them.

She added that 14 other tenants in the building may have been exposed to the bats. The health department recommends that you get vaccinated against rabies.

The city has cited the property for eight violations and is expediting the case for an administrative hearing.

A spokesman for District Attorney Jason Williams said his office is reviewing both criminal and civil charges and called the neglect of the property “unacceptable.”

Do you see a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Click here to report it. Please provide the heading.

Subscribe to Fox 8 YouTube channel.

Copyright 2024 WVUE. All rights reserved.