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Legislative Candidate's House Condemned

Posted on: Friday, 7 April 2006, 18:00 CDT

WHEELING, W.Va. - A legislative candidate's house in a historic district has been condemned after police found animal waste in at least three rooms, garbage throughout the residence and holes in the floor and roof.

Wheeling police officers described conditions at Larry Tighe's house as deplorable. Tighe is running for a seat in the House of Delegates.

"The conditions that exist there make it unlivable," said Nancy Prager, director of the city's Office of Economic and Community Development.

Tighe's house was condemned Thursday after city building inspectors and the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department found building and health code violations, Prager said. She did not say what the violations were.

Officers from Ohio County Animal Control removed two dogs and a cat from the property. The animals were taken to the county animal shelter, Prager said.

"Of course, he can get them back," she said.

Tighe disputed the findings, saying Thursday that the conditions at his house "are not considered deplorable by me."

Wheeling police called building inspectors and health department personnel to the house on Tuesday after responding to two break-in reports by Tighe. The officers found animal feces and urine covering at least three rooms on the third floor, and holes in the roof and floor, according to police reports.

Tighe refused to permit a voluntary review of the property, according to police reports. Thursday's inspection was conducted after a search warrant was obtained, Prager said.

Tighe said his dogs have been trained to leave their feces in the former servants' quarters on the third floor, and that he cleans the waste every couple of days.

"My cats use a litter box that is regularly supplied with litter," Tighe said. "All my pets are well fed and taken care of."

The house is part of the Chapline Street Row Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Information from: The Intelligencer, http://www.theintelligencer.net

Source: Associated Press/AP Online

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