Russ Racop - Snarky Media Group
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| Instead of handcuffs, the city gives arsonists Clif bars and Kool-Aid |
In March of 1973 Fred and Linda Zweifel purchased a home at 312 Alamo Drive. At that time it was one of, if not the most, far west neighborhoods in Little Rock.
Fred was a jovial fellow, with a thick mustache and a New Orleans accent. He had turned his back yard into an oasis that looked like it had been transplanted from Garvin Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs.
Fred passed in 2009 and his wife Linda remained the home until around 2021-2022, when she moved out of state to be closer to one of her children.
The power remained on at the home and the yard was regularly mowed until this year.
When the grass got over a foot tall, the city of Little Rock was contacted. They did nothing.
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| 312 Alamo Drive (June 14, 2024) |
The yard became a weed lot. More complaints were made and the city still did nothing.
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| Doorbell light shows power is still on (July 12, 2024) |
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| 312 Alamo Drive (August 2, 2024) |
Finally, after city of Little Rock public Works was caught in a lie to Ward 4 City Director Capi Peck, the city took action and after months of complaints finally mowed the yard.
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| City of LR worker mowing yard (August 5, 2024) | |
Around the same time as the yard mowing issue was going on, an individual that told neighbors they were from Housing and Urban Development ("HUD") was seen inspecting the outside of the home and putting a notice on the front door. This individual told neighbors that HUD was about to begin foreclosure proceedings and take possession of the home. a notice was placed on the residence and
According to records on file with the Pulaski County Circuit/County Clerk, there is a debt of $187,500 owed from a 2006 Home Equity Conversion Loan.
And soon after the yard was mowed by the city, unbeknownst to the owner and neighbors, criminal vagrants broke into the home and illegally occupied the home (more on that later in this story).
On September 3, 2024, 312 Alamo Drive caught fire and most all of the home was destroyed by fire.
Less than thirty minutes before the fire started, I noticed a LRPD SUV slow rolling up my street on my CCTV cameras. They stopped at 312 Alamo Drive and went to the front door. No one answered the door and they turned around and went back towards West Markham Street.
I knew that no one was living at the house (or so I thought) and after knocking on the front door of the house they left.
A neighbor had seen a man standing on the driveway of 312 Alamo Drive and called the police as he seemed to be acting suspicious and they did not recognize him.
Body camera footage from the LRPD cops reveal that the man told them his name was Ralph Joseph and that he was the "home keeper" of the home at 312 Alamo Drive. The cops did not ask him for any identification and they didn't check to see if there were warrants out for his arrest.
Videos from my own CCTV system show him leaving 312 Alamo Drive just before those LRPD cops arrived.
My footage also revealed that two criminal vagrants had been in the home and left prior to the fire and that two more of them were still in the home when the fire started and did not leave until after the home was engulfed in flames.
Had I walked out my front door just a minute later than I did, I would have seen the first puffs of smoke coming from the house.
The fire was initially reported by individuals in the shopping center on Bowman directly behind the house.
After the fire I was reviewing my CCTV footage and found that the criminals had broken into the house around the end of August.
The footage showed them putting trash at the curb and rolling a gas grill stolen from Home Depot (it was a $250 dollar grill they had at the rear of their building used for cooking employee lunches) to the house. It also showed them coming in and out of the home at various times of the day and night.
It also showed them having "visitors" driving up during the day and night.
Authorities speculate that they were cooking meth at the home.
Neighbors told me that these criminals have also invaded our neighborhood park and that they are afraid to take their children there to play. A visit made to the park confirms that.
I drove around the area and found that these criminals have broken into a nearby shuttered hotel.
They loiter at a shuttered bank branch near the hotel. Notice the dude in red pants. He should look familiar.
They set up a camp a few years back on this hiking trail off South Bowman Road and the city did nothing but close the trail.
Long before South Bowman Road existed, and this area was still undeveloped, I drove my CJ5 Jeep (college days) on an old dirt trail from Markham and Bowman all the way out to Ferndale that is now that shut down Rock Creek Trail.
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| My 1976 CJ5 Jeep named Sally (from the Eric Clapton song - Lay Down Sally) |
They also loiter around at the site of a former bar/restaurant on Shackleford Road.
While I was taking these photos, a man began yelling at me. He got in his car and drove at me at a fast rate of speed. He pulled up extremely close to my vehicle and jumped out. He attempted to open my door but it was locked. He had a club in his hand and in a threatening manner, swung it at me.
After I dropped off my video recording of the incident and was driving back to my home, I noticed several LRPD vehicles and a city truck at the shuttered bar/restaurant.
They were laughing and joking and having a party with several of the criminals that have broken into my neighbors home and were seen leaving it before it caught fire and after it was burning.
One of the city employees was this fellow.
And just today, he butt-dialed me and I listened to him talk to another man about selling bus passes that Rock Region Metro gives out to homeless folks. I have the whole thing recorded.
I'll be doing a deep dive into him and his fellow associates. Stay tuned for that.
Besides the squatting and theft of items from area stores and homes, these criminals and others often illegally solicit in medians and in the street.
The city of Little Rock outlawed that activity back in 2015. Folks can solicit from the sidewalk but cannot step into the street or stand in a median.
LRPD cops do nothing about that. This LRPD cop told us at a Coffee with Cops event a few months ago that he had personally written citations for illegal solicitation.