Notorious Drug Den Granted to Cherokee County Board of Education, Mayor Vows Crackdown

A property within city limits that has been a nuisance for “about ten years” was signed over to the Cherokee County Board of Education after officials prepared a nuisance abatement lawsuit that likely would have allowed the government to take possession of the land.

“We want that to be an example of what’s going to happen to people if you wanna sell drugs in Andrews,” Mayor James Reid said.

James Matthew Mosteller signed a quitclaim deed on July 8, granting ownership of 85 Temple Street, Andrews, NC, to the Cherokee County Board of Education, which by law would have gained ownership of the land if the court had ruled in favor of the lawsuit. Town of Andrews attorney Holly Christy was prepared to file a nuisance abatement complaint before July 12, but Mosteller wasn’t prepared to put up a fight.

“We’re glad to have it; we’re glad the town decided to do that for us,” board of education member Steve Coleman said regarding ownership of the property. “In my opinion, I think we should clean it up and sell it, but I’m only one of seven [on the board]. So we’ll have to see what the others want to do. I really appreciate the mayor and the aldermen.”

According to a call summary prepared by the Alcohol Law Enforcement Nuisance Abatement Team, 85 Temple Street has been a hotbed of illicit activity for numerous years. Reasons that police were dispatched to the property include two sexual assaults, a stabbing, a shot dog, four overdoses, drug trafficking, and several other disturbances.

North Carolina law allows for a civil action to effectively close a property declared to be a nuisance and typically targets property used for specified illegal activities including “prostitution, gambling, illegal possession or sale of drugs or alcoholic beverages, and repeated acts which create a breach of the peace.” The penalties for operating a nuisance include fines, forfeitures, and subsequent jail time for failing to comply with judgments of the court.

“That has been a huge problem on Temple Street for about ten years that I know of and it’s probably been longer than that,” Reid said. “It’s been very tough on our police department.”

At the time when Mosteller signed the property over to the board of education, he still owed $280 in unpaid taxes. At the July 11 Board of Aldermen meeting, Reid, Alderman Steve Jordan and Alderman James Mclean donated cash to cover the taxes so government officials could move forward with taking ownership of the property.

“If you wanna sell drugs in Andrews, we’re going to stop it one way or another,” Reid said. “We’re prepared to use the full extent of the law.”

On July 8, Mosteller signed a limited real estate power of attorney granting the Andrews Police Department the authority to arrest anyone who is on the property other than the three current occupants of the home. Everyone must vacate the property by September 10.