JAY — Darren Pollis says more than $20,000 in vehicles, ATVs, snowmobiles and other items were taken when the town had his property cleaned up on June 17.
The town had a court order issued in January to clean up the property after Pollis and heirs of the estate of his father, Leroy Pollis, failed to fully comply with court orders. A January order gave the town the right to recover the $15,000 it spent to have the cleanup done, legal fees and costs incurred.
Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said the town had tried to get the property in compliance with the state’s junkyard and auto graveyard laws since 1999.
Walking his property Tuesday, Pollis listed items that were taken and pointed out items that were supposed to be taken but were not.
One of the items taken was a Hobart welder on a trailer that should not have been touched, Pollis said.
About 12 vehicles were taken, including those he considered antique, commercial vehicles and some without titles, he said. The Pollises were ordered to remove vehicles in various increments, according to one court order. Commercial vehicles were exempt, he said.
Among other items taken, he said, were two motorcycles, one a Harley-Davidson, three ATVs that were running and two parts machines, two of three boats, a riding lawnmower, a motor home and a commercial potato peeler. His storage trailer was opened and items were taken, but the trailer was left, he said.
ATVs and snowmobiles are exempt under the law, Pollis said. A person can have two unregistered vehicles on a property and no more.
Skidder tires, which were exempt from removal according to one court order, were taken but other tires were not.
“They took everything I owned,” Pollis said.
Among the things left behind were a collapsed trailer and two burn piles, one that was supposed to be burned by Dec. 1, 2013, according to a court order.
Pollis was also not happy with the condition in which his land was left, he said.
LaFreniere, the town manager, said town leaders would talk with the town attorney and the contractor about the items.
“This is an ongoing legal issue that the town is continuing to address,” LaFreniere said.
dperry@sunmediagroup.net
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