3 Children Removed; Citizen Warned County About Home’s Condition

By Chris Cato
Reporter
Published: July 24, 2008

HE DOESN’T WEAR A BADGE, DOESN’T CARRY A GUN, AND HIS PATROL CAR IS A TOYOTA CAMRY.
BUT JASON BULSA HAS MADE IT HIS JOB TO POLICE PROPERTIES IN SPARTANBURG.
“I’m just an ordinary guy with a cell phone, running around trying to make things better,” says Bulsa.

THE PROFESSIONAL HOME INSPECTOR HAS MADE IT HIS MISSION TO DRIVE AROUND IN HIS SPARE TIME, REPORTING CODE VIOLATIONS. HE FOCUSES ON OVERGROWN, RUNDOWN HOMES IN THE CHURCH STREET AND SAXON COMMUNITIES.
“We all have to live here. Why not do everything to make it the best we can?”

HE WAS UPSET TO SEE THAT ONE HOME ON HIS LIST MADE THE NEWS WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
THREE CHILDREN WERE TAKEN INTO PROTECTIVE CUSTODY AFTER OFFICERS SAY THEY FOUND THEIR HOME AT 968 NORTH CHURCH STREET FILLED WITH FECES AND FILTH.
BULSA SAYS HE HAS NOTIFIED CODE ENFORCEMENT OF THE HOME’S EXTERIOR CONDITION FIVE TIMES SINCE MAY OF LAST YEAR.
HE HAS PRINTOUTS OF EMAILS SHOWING EACH TIME HE COMPLAINED TO THE AGENCY.
HE SAYS IF HIS COMPLAINTS HAD BEEN ADDRESSED EARLIER, THE CHILDREN COULD HAVE BEEN SPARED MONTHS OF UNSAFE LIVING.
“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” says Bulsa. “If you’ve got all this junk in the front yard, and the house is falling in, then it’s probably even worse on the inside.”

SGT. JAMIE NELSON OF SPARTANBURG COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT SAYS OFFICERS DID RESPOND TO BULSA’S COMPLAINTS, BUT HE SAYS THEY COULD ONLY ADDRESS THE OUTSIDE OF THE HOME.
“We just never had the probable cause to enter the interior of the house until yesterday,” says Nelson. “As I was standing on the porch conducting interviews, the family kept opening the front door, and I could see and smell the conditions in the front room of the home. That gave us the probable cause we needed to go in and search the house.”

HE SAYS OFFICERS FOUND THE FLOOR COVERED IN FECES AND ROACHES. INCIDENT REPORTS DESCRIBE FIVE CHILDREN AT THE HOME BEING COVERED IN DIRT AND BUG BITES. THREE CHILDREN, AGES 13, 10, AND 1, WERE PLACED IN THE EMERGENCY CUSTODY OF DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES. THEY WILL REMAIN THERE UNTIL A FAMILY COURT JUDGE DETERMINES IF THEY WILL BE RETURNED TO THEIR PARENTS. THE OTHER TWO CHILDREN WERE VISITING THE HOME AND WERE TURNED OVER TO THEIR PARENTS.
THREE ADULTS WHO LIVE AT THE HOME WERE CHARGED WITH TWO COUNTS OF ANIMAL CRUETLY BECAUSE OFFICERS SAY THEY FOUND A DEAD DOG IN THE YARD AND ANOTHER DOG WITH A CHAIN EMBEDDED IN ITS NECK.
THE SPARTANBURG COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS INVESTIGATORS WILL CONSULT WITH A MAGISTRATE TO SEE IF CHARGES SHOULD BE FILED RELATING TO CHILD NEGLECT.
CODE ENFORCEMENT GAVE THE HOMEOWNER SEVEN DAYS TO CLEAN UP THE PROPERTY OR ELSE THE HOME WILL BE CONDEMNED.