In September, 2006, Otis English dumped a house on a vacant lot on West Lee Street. Nineteen months later, it still sits on that lot owned by Johnaton Owens. Owens was fined and a lien slapped on his property by Escambia County Code Enforcement, even though he had nothing to do with English or the abandoned house.
Yesterday, Judge Nick Geeker sentenced English to an 11-month suspended jail term and 12 months’ probation. English has 90 days to pay Owens $1,100 in restitution.
We have heard that English has dumped houses on three other properties in the Pensacola area. Otis J. English has a long history of illegal dumping, cutting down heritage oaks, falsely identifying himself as a contractor, code violations, trespassing, worthless checks and on and on. Check out the Clerk of Courts website – under Otis Jerome English.
This is obviously someone who should not be allowed to do business in this county. Yet code enforcement fines the innocent property owner and the judges let him free to continue doing what he has been doing for the last 12 years.