Junk property ordinances throughout the county have been a much-contested issue throughout the year involving many area residents.

The Town of Westport is no exception to the county-wide problem. Christopher J. Hermann, 38, of 606 South West Street, Westport, has been issued five town and state tickets and is the subject of three Westport Police Department cases. His property has been inspected by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and has been the subject of correspondence with Decatur County Animal Control, Decatur County Health Department, Decatur County Solid Waste Management and the Sand Creek Township trustee. The property on which Hermann resides is owned by Fannie Mae.

The first case report in Westport was documented on February 6, when a member of the town council contacted the department about solid waste on the property. The ordinance, Town of Westport 2002-6, forbids occupants of town real estate from accumulating garbage on their property and from occupying land that is the site of an open dump.

On that day in February, Chief Todd Hampton documented that trash, lumber and miscellaneous junk were visible from the public street. Since the property was not in compliance with local ordinances and the property occupant had been notified, the problem should have been remedied. It was not.

On May 20, Hampton returned to the property and documented its status with more photos. Having proved the situation had not improved, the Clerk-Treasurer issued a citation via certified mail. This should have prompted the improvement of conditions on the property. Once again, it did not.

On July 30, Hampton returned again to the property on South West Street after being informed there were horses on the property. The horses, which are forbidden in residential zoning by the county’s ordinances, were not contained by a fence, Hampton said. Rather, they were tethered to a tree and a trampoline. Animal Control became involved at this point, as numerous dogs and pups were also being kept on the property.

Numerous vehicles were also being stored on the Westport property, Hampton noted, and citations were issued once again for solid waste, animal matter and waste and the vehicles.

The following day, Hermann received notice from IDEM inspector Tim Hotz that the property was not in compliance with state mandates. Hotz’s report states the property is less than one quarter of an acre. On it, he saw tires as well as household waste and evidence of burning. His notice informed Hermann the waste needed to be removed to an approved solid waste management facility.

Still, the property’s condition has not changed.

In addition to the large number of vehicles on the property, the tires without rims, lumber and other various waste, Hermann keeps animals. His dogs, of which there have been a varying number, Hampton said, are tethered with dog-houses for shelter. Until recently, two horses remained tethered in the yard.

Sometime during the night between August 17 and 18, a tragedy took place.

The areas for the dogs and the horses overlapped and in the night, the horses were attacked.

While no one witnessed the offending canines, two of Hermann’s own dogs were no longer on the property when Animal Control and Westport Police Department personnel came to investigate.

One horse had broken loose from its tether and managed to free itself from the grasp of the dogs. The other suffered significant injuries during the attack. The male horse no longer has ears. His flanks and neck are riddled with deep gashes from teeth and nails.

When the investigation began after the attack, Hermann said the horses had been rushed to a vet, treated and returned home. The deep cuts were being treated with ointments and the horses were being medicated with pain killers and antibiotics. The male horse’s condition remains serious.