A woman who started a neighborhood watch group after finding a meth pipe and drug needles in her yard, say the women in the group are being threatened.
A pile of trash sits in the backyard of the home in the 1000 block of Hickory Ave in Punta Gorda, Fl.
“They started pulling stuff out of the inside,” Ashley Parolisi, who began a petition she hopes to send to the governor's office that will allow law enforcement to evict known drug dealers who create a nuisance environment.
A strong odor of moth balls emitted from the home while Four In Your Corner was filming. Parolisi believes it's the smell of Methamphetamine.
“According to online, the smell of moth balls and cat urine is methamphetamine and that’s obviously the smell of all the junk they’ve pulled from the inside of the trailer, “said Parolisi, as she pointed to the pile.
In the past, she says her son came within inches of stepping on a used drug needle that was tossed in her yard.
“The children walking to and from schools almost stepping on needles, my child almost stepping on needles in his own yard, it’s just disgusting,’ said Parolisi.
She began a neighborhood watch group which has close to three dozen members.
“We’ve been yelled at, cursed at, threatened, “said Vicki Pogson, neighborhood watch member.
Members take turns monitoring the neighborhood. Most of them are looking out for prostitution and drug activity, One woman says she was threatened during one of their walks.
“He said he was going to beat our [expletive],” said resident.
Neighborhood watch members say the residents who disapprove of them are likely the one's contributing to the criminal activity they've been seeing.
“It makes you scared to bring your grand kids to your house. There’s not been a shooting but usually when the drugs are there that starts,” said Pat Collier, neighborhood watch member.
The Charlotte County Sheriff's office has received over 30 disturbance calls about the home. Deputies raided the home in the past and arrested two individuals on drug and weapon charges.
The home was seized due to a unpaid back taxes, and resold to someone in California who has started the eviction process.
The rest of the people living in the home have until Thursday to explain to a judge why they shouldn't be evicted.
Parolisi is hoping her yard will go back to looking and smelling normal again.
“It’s disgusting,” said Parolisi.
