CHULA VISTA (CBS 8) – It's a dangerous situation for some neighbors in Chula Vista, and they want something done about it.
They say there's so much illegal activity going on inside an alleged drug house, they need some help from the city. They went to the City Council Tuesday with their complaints and concerns.
What appears to be a quiet street is anything but, according to Theresa Cowan.
"You can ask my neighbors. We live a life of hell," Cowan said.
She has lived on Corte Maria in Chula Vista for 23 years. For the past five years, she says her neighbor, 75-year-old Dennis Read and his 43-year-old wife Cynthia have allowed criminals to live there with them, all while participating in illegal activities.
"They sell drugs all day long. They receive stolen goods. Anything that's crooked, they do," Cowan said.
Cowan says she calls police almost daily, and has been threatened as a result.
Another homeowner, Amber Rodriguez, verified those claims, adding that like Cowan, she too lives in fear.
"This block is dead, because everyone is scared to bring their kids outside," Rodriguez said.
Chula Vista police confirm the Reads' home has been a nuisance, with more than 57 calls alone in 2012. That same year, the city attorney's office sent a warning letter to Mr. Read stating, "…things found on the property included: meth, heroin, marijuana, syringes and ammunition."
It goes on to explain that if a judge finds that a public nuisance exists, the judge must order the property be closed for one year.
Yet, the home remains occupied.
Cowan and her neighbors took their concerns to Tuesday's Chula Vista City Council meeting. City Attorney Glen Googins also spoke out. He explained that his office didn't have the authority to follow up on the 2012 warning letter, because the situation improved.
Now he admits it's gone back to the way it was, which is why his office is working to see what its options are and that this is "a legally complex matter that does not lend itself to simple solutions."
Back on Corte Maria Street, Cowan has posted signs on her home.
As for the Reads, we went to their home, but got no response.