Melissa Rodriguez and her 3 year old daughter, Destiny, have been living in horrible conditions for more than a month. The Wilson county mother said the trailer she rents has a leak, and raw sewage is pouring out underneath.
An out of work construction worker said Roto-Rooter will fix the leak for approximately 250 dollars, but Mrs. Rodriguez doesn’t have money and claims her landlord won’t fix it either.
Rodriguez said the problem began in February. Since then, she and her daughter have become sick. Rodriguez said her doctors told her it is directly related to the raw sewage under and around her home. With nowhere else to turn, Rodriguez called the State Department of Environment and Conservation Division of Ground Water Protection.
The agency investigated and sent the Murfreesboro owner a notice of violation on March 30th, 2010. The document ordered the man to fix the problem in the next 30 days or risk going to court. With tears in her eyes, Rodriguez said she can’t last another 30 minutes in the trailer. It is so soiled and so full of stink she cannot sleep at night.
She callsed Messed Up, and Andy got on the phone with her landlord. This is how the conversation went:
CORDAN: Sir we have a helluva problem out here. I need something to be resolved. Why are you not fixing it?
OWNER: What kind of problem are we having?
CORDAN: You are kidding me right?
OWNER: No sir, I need to know what kind of problem.
CORDAN: I’m staring at a bunch of paperwork that says you know exactly what I am talking about. It says you have a problem with leaking pipes underneath the trailer, it says you are the landlord, and I figure it’s a simple job. Let’s fix it. The baby is sick. The woman is sick. This is an environmental situation. Why is this taking so long?
OWNER: Is there… well is there… what is leaking… is the kitchen sink leaking underneath the home?
CORDAN: Sir, when she goes to the bathroom, it comes out under the trailer. That is a problem. You are responsible. What are you going to do about it?
OWNER: Well sir, the cleanout plug was taken out from underneath there, that’s why that was done.
CORDAN: Well fix it. Unfortunately, you are the landlord and that is part of the problem.
OWNER: I did, I did. I went and re-hung the line and put the cleanout plugs back in.
CORDAN: I just spoke with the state of Tennessee and they say you are in violation. The state says you, the landlord, are in violation. All I can suggest to you is you are responsible here. And it is unfortunate that someone might have to spend 200 bucks, but somebody needs to fix this.
OWNER: OK. I don’t have a problem. I went back up there and re-hung that sewer line. And put the clean out plugs back in, sir.
CORDAN: But it’s broken. We need a certified pro. Can you do that for us? You have people getting sick?
OWNER: I don’t want anyone to get sick, sir. I don’t have a problem in the world, now, I thought the problem was fixed.
CORDAN: Well it is not fixed and I am standing here watching stuff drip underneath this trailer and it’s foul. It just needs to be fixed.
OWNER: I agree totally. If it is not fixed, it needs to be fixed. I agree totally.
And with that, he hung up. Melissa Rodriguez hears the whole conversation and tells me that he won’t do anything. We shall see.
Jerry Nickens has had back trouble all of his life. He says he has had multiple surgeries and a narrow spinal canal.
The 49 year old has a handicap license plate and all the proper documentation.
The Smyrna man says he is interested in city council events relating to the fairgrounds, so he regularly attends Metro City Council meetings parking in the underground Metro garage across from the courthouse.
It’s in this Metro Garage that Nickens says, a parking attendant questioned him about his disability and his handicap documentation.
“I came out and the guy refused to honor my tag,” he tells me from his Smyrna home.
“He demanded a doctor’s note. He was demanding my handicapped placard that hangs on the windshield, which I don’t use in that vehicle. He asks for my registration and driver’s license number. I told him he doesn’t need all that. I told him that I will write my name and driver’s information on the back and that is all you need. He keeps me there 10 minutes against my will. He won’t let me leave.
He argues with me, finally letting me leave. Then next week, the same scenario. He gets fighting mad. He thinks I am trying to beat the system. He said the next time I come out I will pay. But there is a Metro ordinance says that they don’t charge handicapped people for metro parking during business hours or normal business hours. So I am not supposed to pay. He stepped across the line when he kept demanding a doctor’s note.”
Nickens tells me the incident happens in front of life long friends who are shocked by the attendant’s attitude. Nickens tells me the incident was very humiliating.
We share this story with Richard Wagner who is the Vice President and Regional Manager of Central Parking which runs the garage.
Wagner is aware of the incident and tells Messed Up that the attendant has been counseled, and what was a new parking policy, tabled.
“Our concern is customer service. What was enacted on a temporary basis was a policy and procedure, asking for more details on the disabled parking process. When I heard of this incident, I contacted parking manager, and said cease the procedure. Till we can vet out what really needs to be done. There is an ongoing issue with abuse. Of the disabled parking privilege we have no issue with providing free parking at city owned facilities. We just want to be sure, that Central Parking agrees with the procedure and the City of Nashville agrees with the procedure. And if there is a change, that will be enacted as pamphlets handed out to disabled parkers as they exit before we institute a start date.”
Wagner says the newer tougher handicap parking policy is to combat what Wagner describes as a high rate of Placard fraud which he estimates is at 50%.
“The state law allows us to get a driver’s license and or registration to confirm the disabled parker is either driving the vehicle or in the vehicle. Candidly, we moved to fast on instituting this procedure and that is why I pulled it back, till we can research it more thoroughly.”
Was the attendant too tough on Nickens?
Wagner says this: “Candidly it was a lack of training on our part by the attendant. The attendant was given a set of instructions going forward you have to get this. And he didn’t handle it the way we should in our normal course of business. That attendant has been retrained, and we are taking look at all our training, because we don’t want to impede the process, we want to give the right benefit to the right people in the car. That is all we are looking for. Right now, went back to our prior procedure, if you pull up with a handicap placard or plate, or disabled vet tag, we simply get your name or telephone number, and the telephone number is simply a way to get verification, it is a revenue control issue, and they are allowed to leave.”
yes i did break the law by having some weed in my pocket and i deserve to get punished but not by the police and a towing company being in bed together the police in maury county arrested me for simple possession they towed my truck (omitted) i got bonded out called to get my truck out on saturday morning a man answered phone told me they were closed till monday gave me a price of 179 dollars when i go to pick up the truck monday the price jumped up to 287 dollars it was 150 dollars to tow my truck 30 dollars for milage and 75 dollars for storage this is a rip off 75 dollars for storage because they would not let me get my truck out on saturday even though someone answered phone this company and the columbia police should be investigated for me and all the other poor people who get screwed and cant afford a big name lawyer to fight for them
T/A truckstop @ I24 & old hickory exit 62 has a large price sign in green color. it says $2.68. also it says diesel in very large print green in color. in very small print says gasoline. the gasoline print is very hard to see as so small. when one sees the sign, they think the diesel price is $2.68, but it is really $2.98. i have seen many complain about this, but employees just shrug at them. is this a pricing scam? this must be corrected to protect fine people from being ripped off. please investigate asap. thank you for your time. diesel prices are usually green in color, and gasoline prices are usually red in color.
Here’s the scenario: A metro cop gives you a traffic ticket. You’re not happy about that. To add insult to injury, you get a call from the Messed Up department asking you how you feel that your citation and that of 9 other people was recently found discarded in an I-24 gas station trash can.
How would you feel?
Your name, date of birth, address, driver’s license number and vehicle information is all listed for anyone who happens to find the citation book.
A 39 year old woman we talked to by phone was not pleased. “I do not like the fact that my personal info was discarded in the trash can,” the Vanderbilt employee said. This woman, who chooses to remain anonymous, told us that, ironically, she works to protect people’s security who interact with Vanderbilt.
“Thankfully, my privacy and personal information fell into the hands of someone responsible. The fact that the police department didn’t want it (the citation book) back also makes me question, if he is tossing it, what do the other officers do with their books? How do they secure the information once the tickets are issued?”
Another victim, Kelly Ritts, echoed this sentiment. “I feel very uncomfortable that the police, of all people, did not handle my personal information with more care,” she told Messed Up.
This story all started on March 19th at the Shell Station on OHB off I-24. Here, Kris Todd spotted a Metro Police Officer’s used citation book in a trash can. It had the carbon copies of 10 tickets written over the previous two days.
The Mt. Juliet man said he immediately called the police department’s non emergency number but did not feel he was taken seriously.
“I called to ask what I should do. Should I burn it or throw it away? They were totally in denial, which I guess is what they have to do, but I am holding it in my hand. It was a 4 to 5 minute conversation, I was like ok well thanks for your time. They just wanted me to drive it by a precinct, or whatever, to get rid of it. I think it just needs to be brought to someone’s attention.”
After that phone call, Todd called That Is Messed Up. We agreed this warrented concern.
Todd said he doesn’t know how the ticket book ended up in the garbage, but he believes that in the wrong hands, a cyber thief could take the information in the discarded ticket book and easily compromise a person’s personal data.
“I do a lot with identity protection. I know that with this I could steal anyone’s identity, and someone needs to be held accountable for that.”
Using the ticket book’s information, we easily obtained the phone numbers of several drivers. With a few more mouse clicks, it would not be that difficult to get more detailed information.
We contacted Metro Police and returned the ticket book to spokesman Don Aaron. Aaron told us that the police department policy is clear: “Books like this are to be securely destroyed. They must be shredded or put in a bin.”
Aaron explained what happened.
“I have no reason to believe this is a regular habit of this officer. This was inadvertent. Perhaps he was cleaning out his car while gassing up, and he tossed it out with other material. Either way, the department will investigate how this happened and, if necessary, disciplinary action will be taken. His superiors talked to the officer about this. He said he uses the disposal bins at the traffic office, and this is an isolated incident. It will be investigated further, and, if discipline is warranted, it will be taken.”
Aaron said that, as part of this investigation, the dispatcher who took Mr. Todd’s call will also be interviewed.
“Mr. Todd did what we want. If you find materials out of place, call 862-8600 and report it. We understand Mr. Todd didn’t feel like he was taken seriously, and we want to figure out what happened on that end.”
Here is the Metro Police Department’s Policy relating to citation books:
Employees shall ensure that all discarded departmental files are appropriately disposed of to ensure the contents of such files are not accessible to unauthorized parties (e.g. copies of arrest reports, mug shots, offense reports, citations, worksheets, or any other departmental record that may contain sensitive or personal information of MNPD employees, victims, or suspects). (Violation of this provision shall be a category C offense)
1. The preferred method of disposing of files listed above would be to shred the files utilizing a departmental shredder in a secure location, or deposit such files in a departmental receptacle designated for the purpose of secure disposal.
2. Employees shall not utilize public trash cans, dumpsters or other receptacles that are accessible to unauthorized parties to dispose of departmental records or files.
On the weekend of February 6th, a desk top computer was stolen from a Vanderbilt University Professor’s locked office.
That computer had the names, birthdates and social security numbers of 7,000 students, both past and present.
Vanderbilt University officials say the University is doing all it can to protect the sensitive information of these individuals.
In an email sent to victims, university officials wrote: “to help safeguard you from misuse of your personal information, Vanderbilt has arranged for you to receive 12 months of identity protection under the Debix Identity Protection Network at no cost to you.”
The email goes on to say that victims will receive credit alerts and up 1 million dollars in identity theft insurance.
Greg Pipes will graduate with a Vanderbilt Psychology degree in a few weeks. The 21 year old is one of the victims who received this email.
“I was concerned and a little scared at first. I have checked, it (credit) is fine right now. I hope it will stay that way. Vandy has provided protection, they have handled it well so far, which is about all I can ask for. A million dollars insurance: that is satisfactory in my book.”
Vanderbilt authorities would not say what building was broken into nor would they comment on what professor’s computer was taken. Officials tell us they have no suspects at this time.
The good news is that, according to officials, nobody’s personal information has been compromised so far.
Warmer weather is on the way, and in Sylvan Park that means more joggers, bikers, and kids playing outside. Residents say the warmer weather also brought a pack of wild dogs that has been on the loose for weeks.
Kris Egan is a professional dog walker who lives in Sylvan Park. Egan has seen the pack and she said they can be vicious.
“It’s a pack of five of them. There’s an Akita and two shepherds and a Lab with a broken back leg. They bit a girl up the street, and last week, a jogger. They attack people on bikes all the time.”
Her dog walking partner, Michelle Resch, has 3 slobbering and friendly Bull Dogs on leashes. Resch is equally passionate about the need to capture the pack.
“They attacked and killed a Chihuahua and some cats. And we are afraid it will be a child in a stroller or on a scooter next,” Resch said.
“We call animal control over and over and over,” Egan quickly interjected. “We are trying to get signs on the greenway, and we have called and got barely any response.”
“We have talked to the captain of the Parks Police, and we have talked to the head of animal control,” Resch joined in. “We have complained to councilman.”
Messed Up asked why this is so concerning.
“These dogs are not kind dogs,” Resch said. “They operate like a pack. We haven’t run into them with our dogs, knock on wood. That Chihuahua, they shredded that dog in a lady’s yard. It was tied up, and on a cable, and they killed it her yard.”
Andy spent a great deal of time on the phone with Metro authorities.
Billy Biggs with Metro Animal Control told me he is authorized to tranquilize the animals, but he has to be accompanied by a vet who has limited hours. Unfortunately for everyone, the dogs have their own schedule.
“We’ve been out there every time they call,” Biggs said. “We can’t catch all of them. We are waiting for an opportunity. I have to take the vet with me to tranquilize,” Biggs said with a sense of frustration in his voice.
The women want to put up signs on the Greenway. Biggs is in favor of that.
Andy also spoke at length with Captain Rich Foley. He is a Metro Police officer who is working with the Parks Department.
“We can’t go shooting dogs unless there is imminent threat. This falls under the same legal justification of shooting a person. To discharge a firearm, it must be in defense of yourself or another,” Foley said.
The Captain repeatedly told Messed Up that this issue is very concerning to him and the department. He sounded frustrated that capturing 5 to 8 dogs has been so difficult.
“It is frustrating not to be able to catch the dogs,” he said. “We are handicapped; we don’t have training or equipment to deal with dogs in this capacity. We refer this to animal control. But with that said, we are here when they have issues with the dogs. If you are in immediate need, definitely call the police. We are concerned. We need these dogs collected. Honestly, I am very concerned, and concerned about getting these dogs.”
Metro has put out at least one trap, which Egan says is not effective at all.
She showed Andy the trap, and it was sprung. Egan said birds routinely spring the trap, so dogs couldn’t get in even if they wanted to. Egan also said she is the only one who ever puts food in the bowl.
If you see the dogs, be cautious and call authorities immediately.
615-880-3429 should ring right into the park police office.
It’s been 8 months since a Nashville family spent thousands of dollars to upgrade their kitchen with brand new stainless steel appliances. They bought from a locally owned and well respected appliance store. The fridge, microwave, and dishwasher all work great. But Sherri Hite said the oven has been nothing but trouble.
In July 2009, the elementary school secretary and her husband spend $3,700 dollars for all new appliances.
All the appliances work, except the oven.
“The oven came in,” Hite told Andy from her kitchen. “They put it in, and it didn’t work. Nothing came on: no lights, nothing. So they took it back to the shop. It took a week, then they came back, put it in, and nothing cames on. So they took it back again and had to order a board for it. Actually, two boards for it. They called and said the new the boards were in and they had rewired it. They said they would it back out and I said no! I said I don’t want boards and rewired ovens. I want a new oven, out of the box, working on the first day. I am not taking the one rigged by you all.”
Hite said months went by, and her family made numerous phone calls to D.T. McCall and Sons, where they had successfully bought many items in the past. Hite said her family also called the manufacturer, Frigidaire, many times to try to correct the problem.
Finally Mrs. Hite called That is Messed Up.
“I needed help,” she said, throwing her hands up in the air. “Nobody would call us back. We were getting the run around. A friend said to call Andy Cordan.”
Andy immediately called the company and talked with a friendly salesman.
By the next morning, Andy was on the phone with company president, AJ McCall, who heads up a local furniture, electronics, central heat and air, and lawn and garden company that has been serving middle Tennessee for 100 years.
“I spoke with Mr. Hite,” the friendly executive said in the News 2 studio. “I was not aware of the service issues till yesterday, and we immediately contacted the manufacturer. They are sending the new oven out, a 27 inch oven. If I knew sooner, I probably could have had it taken care of sooner. That is my fault. I’m in charge. We contacted a representative of the Electrolux Corporation and they are shipping us a new oven for the Hites. I apologize it has taken so long, but didn’t know about the problem till now.”
The businessman said he would like the Hites to continue shopping in his stores.
“If you have an unresolved issue, it is the worst thing a business can have. You can lose a customer without knowing you did. That is the worst scenario you can have in business.”
Mrs. Hite said she would consider shopping at McCall and Sons again, but she is not sure her husband will.
This is messed up. My sister got a vrizon phone set up an account month to month. She called me today very upset because she was had money already in her account to pay for 450 minutes on the 11th of march. she checked her minutes she only had a few left she tried calling verizon to see why and kept getting put on hold so she gave me all of her information for me to call she does not have a land line. I called and was told by 2 people the second one being a supervisor that she had no text message service and one text was sent and it cost her 20 cents so when it was time for her monthly payment to come out she was 20 cent short so instead of letting her know that she didnt have 450 minutes to use they started charging her .45 cents a minute and what was for her montly bill went to cover minutes that she thought was paid for already. I dont care how you look at it it isnt fair to do someone like that. They could have told her that texting was extra and that they could block it if she wanted to but they didnt. This probably isnt something you woukld think is important but my sister doesnt have much money and needs a way to call someone if she needs help and I sure Verizon doesnt care that they have caused her to be very upset over 20 cents.
More trouble for a Nashville Realty Company that has recently been in the news:
In the wake of a Messed Up investigation, Metro Public Works, Codes, and the Metro Health Department are all taking action against Barrett Realty Company.
The latest complaints center around city owned trash cans at 3 Barrett Properties. These trash cans are full of construction grade material, some of which has spilled into a nearby culvert.
Metro officials say it is not the city’s job to pick up these trash containers at the expense of tax payers.
Mike Brandle has lived on Barrett Drive for 10 years. The house next to Brandle’s is a Barrett run property. Brandle told us this property is currently empty and being renovated.
On the day Messed Up arrived in this South Nashville neighborhood, it was trash day, and garbage cans lined the street. The 3 cans in front of the Barrett owned property at 412 Barrett Drive were over flowing with what appears to be roofing material.
Brandle said these garbage cans are out here all the time, and that these cans have been over flowing with construction material like this for weeks.
We drove around the neighborhood to look at other Barrett properties. We found trash cans filled with similar construction grade material, and, at one location, the cans were turned over and in the culvert.
We returned to the neighborhood hours later. The city garbage trucks had rolled through, and most of the cans had been removed from the street. The cans next to Mr. Brandle’s home were still at the curb, however the roofing material was gone, replaced with contractor grade trash bags.
We spoke with Billy Lynch who heads up the Metro Public Works Department. He said Barrett’s use of the city owned trash cans is a clear violation.
According to Lynch, city haulers should not pick up debris like this because it is against the following code:
10.20.290 Building debris–Responsibility for removal.
A. Building debris such as scrap lumber, plaster, roofing, concrete, brickbats, and sanding dust resulting from the construction, repair, remodeling or demolition of any building or appurtenances on private property will not be removed by the department of public works, and the owner must cause such materials and waste to be privately moved.
Lynch said the construction material exceeds the weight limitations for a 96 gallon container. He also said the haulers removed the Barrett cans because citizens complained about the way they looked. Lynch said the company is abusing the city service, and that his agency picked up all the city owned garbage receptacles at the 3 Barrett addresses we visited. Lynch also said Public Works mailed a letter of violation for each address to the realty company.
Metro Codes also confirmed it has an active investigation on the three Barrett properties. Metro Health has issued the company a notice to clean up the spilled trash at 408 Wimpole.
Once again, Messed Up went to Barrett Realty on Murfreesboro Road for a reaction. A man in the office told Messed Up to leave or the police would be called. We exited, unable to obtain a statement from the company regarding the recent developments.
As you may recall, Barrett Realty is the same company Messed Up investigated in a story earlier this month. At that time, new renters said Barrett Realty moved the previous tenant’s belongings to the front lawn for the city to pick up. After Messed Up got involved the city cited the agency, and Barrett Realty removed the furniture.
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Lynch said the construction material exceeds the weight limitations for a 96 gallon container. He also said the haulers removed the Barrett cans because citizens complained about the way they looked. Lynch said the company is abusing the city service, and that his agency picked up all the city owned garbage receptacles at the 3 Barrett addresses we visited. Lynch also said Public Works mailed a letter of violation for each address to the realty company. 
