Loudon County officials board up county’s first-ever nuisance house

LENOIR CITY (WATE) – Loudon County law enforcement were on the scene Thursday of what they said was the first ever nuisance bust in the county. Deputies were boarding up windows and doors, and posting the property.

The Loudon County Sheriff’s Office says the home at 3660 Mountain View Road in the Harrison Hills subdivision of Lenoir City has been the site of drug and other criminal activities over the past few months, including kidnapping and aggravated assault charges.

The 9th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office said many neighbors have complained about the home over the past several weeks. Neighbors said they’ve seen all kinds of suspicious behavior from cars going in and out at all times of the day to people hanging out in the garage.

“We don’t need that here. We don’t need that anywhere and we certainly don’t want it in our back door, so I think it’s fantastic,” Jennifer Frye, a neighbor said.

Frye has three foster kids and lives in the neighborhood. She wasn’t happy to hear the home was an active meth lab.

“It’s just scary knowing that, you know, there’s a meth house right on the corner two houses down,” Frye said.

Two people were discovered inside the home when deputies came to board it up. Two people were detained for questioning.

“I think anytime that you can shut down a residence or any kind of facility that is involved in distributing and manufacturing methamphetamine, it’s a good day,” Assistant District Attorney Kristin Kelley said.

Deputies started focusing on the house after a shooting in December. On Thursday, HAZMAT crews pulled out components of a meth lab.

“We were terrified to let them outside because we never knew if there were going to be stray bullets flying or what was going to happen and we never let them outside after dark because that’s when the traffic seemed to increase over here,” Frye said.

Now that everything is boarded up and sealed, Frye feels a little more at ease now.

“We will rest a little easier at night for sure, now, knowing they’ve put a stop to this,” Frye said.

As for the two people who are being questioned, law enforcement is trying to figure out what their involvement is in the situation.

Flo Lynn Hicks is listed as the property owner, with Christopher Eugene Hicks listed as a resident. Court documents say the home has been the site of a large volume of illegal drug sales, meth manufacturing and other criminal activity.

Ninth Judicial District Attorney General Russell Johnson said there will be a hearing next Thursday to see how long the home will be boarded up. The home owner, Hicks’ mother, is expected to also be in court, to talk about the future of the home.