SOUTHEAST GLENDALE — Authorities are investigating the theft of $1,700-worth of utilities at a uninhabitable home where police say they have arrested several people for methamphetamine use and burglary.
The home on the 500 block of Solway Street has also been the subject of numerous code enforcement and police calls in the past two months.
“It’s kind of gotten labeled as the party meth house,” city code enforcement Inspector Che Hill said.
Officials discovered that the home’s occupant, Deok Lee, was allegedly stealing electricity from the city, so it was yellow tagged and deemed uninhabitable, Hill said.
Lee was arrested on Feb. 12 for suspicion of identity theft and again on Feb. 18 in connection with possessing methamphetamine and violating the yellow tag notice, Hill said.
Once the home’s utilities were turned off, its occupants allegedly tampered with the electrical panel to get electricity to the house and installed a surveillance camera, which is not permitted, Hill said.
The occupants also allegedly used a propane tank to heat up the home, and a propane stove to cook meals.
The home has been deemed unsafe until the electrical panel is repaired, Hill said. Repairs can run up to $2,500. Water and electricity must also be restored to the home to declare it habitable, he added.
Two rooms were also added to the home without permits, Hill said.
“The house has morphed into a nuisance,” he said.
Repeated phone calls to the home were not returned.
Public Works officials and police will refer the case to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office after they have completed their investigation, Deputy City Atty. Dorine Martirosian said.
The city’s Neighborhood Services Division has received several calls from neighbors concerned about people living inside the home after it was yellow tagged, Hill said.
Police have visited the home 20 times on a variety of calls since December, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.
“We are working closely with Code Enforcement because it has become a quality of life issue for that particular neighborhood,” he said.
During a visit on Feb. 22, police arrested 34-year-old Daniel Sastre on suspicion of burglary after getting a report that someone had broken in, according to city and police reports.
Sastre had already been arrested Feb. 15 at the home on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine, while police were conducting a routine check of the home, Hill said.
Police have made other arrests at the home, including people who were suspected of being under the influence of drugs and for outstanding warrants, according to city and police reports.
Lee has been moving out of the home since it is not in his name, Lorenz said.
