Sedalia Resident Denotes Problems in 600 block of South Lafayette

Monday night's City Council meeting ended with a complaint about a neighbor.

During the Good and Welfare portion of the meeting at City Hall, 2nd and Osage, Sedalia resident John Urton stood up to address the Council about a problem he's having with a neighbor at 625 South Lafayette.

“We have an individual on our block who chooses to traffic drugs, prostitution, and he has between six to eight individuals living in two, broken-down sheds adjacent to the Katy Trail. These people ... are dealing a lot of drugs in the wee hours of the night. The worst of it is, there's children involved,” Urton noted.

“They're living in filth. They're going to the bathroom in five-gallon buckets and throwing the feces on the Katy Trail,” Urton said. “We as neighbors don't really call it the Katy Trail anymore, we call it the 'Crackhead Trail' … they have multiple escape routes. Sedalia PD has been there multiple times. We just ask that the City Council and Sedalia Police to continue to bear down on this. It's a real mess.”

Urton added that the backyard there is littered with a large amount of debris. He noted that you cannot see the debris from the street, but you can from the Katy Trail.

City Administrator Kelvin Shaw told Urton and other neighbors “we appreciate you showing up” and urged them to let the SPD know when something's going on, he said adding that police need probable cause. “Your cooperation is appreciated,” Shaw said.

Another neighbor from the area said she has contacted the state attorney general about the matter.

Urton, who said he has lived in the neighborhood for 38 years, noted he has spoke with City Councilman Dawson as well as Police Chief Matt Wirt about the situation.