BURTON ST. NEIGHBORS CLASH OVER DRUGS

Landlord: I Can't Evict Resident Facing Drug Charges

WEST ASHEVILLE - Burton Street-area residents who have worked to
clean up their neighborhood, long associated with illegal drugs and
violence, are facing a recurring problem with a home now housing its
second resident connected with drug dealing.

Despite neighbors' demands and a strongly worded letter from police,
the landlord of [redacted] said he couldn't evict his renter,
[redacted], without a conviction.

"I don't have any love for anyone who deals drugs, but I want to make
sure I don't get into trouble myself," Latif Fakhoury of Mars Hill
said this month. Fakhoury said his attorney advised him that evidence
presented to him amounted to hearsay and would not stand up in court.

Residents went to Mars Hill two years ago to confront Fakhoury about
a previous renter also connected with drug dealing. That renter
eventually left, but Fakhoury said it was not because he evicted him.

The new renter, [redacted], has had charges against him including
possession of cocaine with intent to sell and deliver and at least
one arrest at the house for possession of cocaine, said Asheville
Police Capt. Tim Splain in a Dec. 1 letter to Fakhoury.

"A reasonable person could make the assumption that you profit from
the illegal drug income of these past and present tenants by taking
rent money from them," Splain said.

Because Burton falls in a federally designated Weed and Seed Area,
the U.S. Justice Department could seize the property if such a
connection is shown, the captain said. Splain could not be reached
Friday for comment about the need for a conviction.

Still, residents like Teresa McPherson said they might pay another
visit to Fakhouy if nothing changes.

"Our goal is to let the landlord know that, 'Hey, you need to be
careful of the people you put in our community,'" McPherson said.