Drug-o-topia Continues To Spiral Downward...

Photo By John Hoff, with Hawthorne Hawman's Camera

I've written previously about Jeff Skrenes' former address at 2218 Lyndale Ave. N., a place we nicknamed "Drug-o-topia." Jeff lived there for a while but left because, well, it's not good for a neighborhood housing director to live at a property where drug dealing is taking place. (Click here for details about Jeff's evacuation)

The property fell upon even harder times after Jeff left and...

...one of the scummy occupants was arrested for (allegedly) being involved with meth, click here. (I guess Jeff giving his downstairs neighbors his old couch didn't exactly turn their lives around, but at least I didn't have to carry that son-of-a-b**** up the stairs)

Anyway...

In the past month or so the property has been condemned for lack of utilities. I took this picture in early September with Jeff's camera, (sharing our gear in the revitalization struggle, all band-of-brothers-like) but the image only recently came back into my hands when I downloaded Jeff's camera after the Peace Ball, click here for video of that event.

Seeing this image of 2218 Lyndale Ave. N., I thought it might be useful to do this little post, just to keep documenting the long, slow, agonizing descent of this property.

I should point out the place is very nice inside, with wonderful old woodwork. If 2218 Lyndale Ave. N. comes on the market, hopefully some revitalization-minded person will snap it up. Even Jeff Skrenes himself has thought about how nice it would be to own "2218," despite living through some of the worst times the property has experienced in (probably) more than a century of existence.

Nancy Jean Feltus Of 2218 Lyndale Ave. N. Arrested On Narcotics Violation, Warrant...

Mug Shot Courtesy Of MPD

Lately I've been getting a load of arrest reports and mug shots, and I'm happy to just keep putting this stuff out on the blogosphere. I'll make a point of saying this: if you get arrested for drugs or prostitution in North Minneapolis, there's a good chance your face and address will end up on the internet.

So best to avoid engaging in those activities in North Minneapolis.

In any case...

Nancy Jean Feltus, age 47 but looks 80, appears to have a drug problem...

On September 5, 2009, she was arrested by Officers Anthony R. Caspers and Griffin K. Hillsbo for an (alleged) narcotics violation and a warrant. Her home address is 2218 Lyndale Ave. N., an address which has seen some interesting developments recently: it was condemned for a lack of utilities on September 15, click here. The owner is Jerome Murschel, age 44, whose address is also 2218 Lyndale Ave. N.

Murschel was apparently caught up in the same incident as Feltus, but was only cited and released for driving after revocation, not any drug crime. For this reason, I don't have a mug shot of Murschel.

One can't help but take some comfort in the fact the owner of 2218 Lyndale Ave. N. is listed as the Federal National Mortgage Association, and the fate of this house appears to be up in the air.