Codington County Sheriff's Office
1st, Watertown, SD

Codington County Sheriff's Office Reviews

2.3 stars based on 10 reviews

Featured Comments:

• H

  Hum Wishdom

  1.0

  When I first moved in, 5/2015 there were a lot of homeless people and drug people lingering in building. During the time frame I was repeatedly having mail stolen, came home to sewage in bathtub, then upon open door across hallway witnessed sack of needles being taken out of of toilet after sewage flooding. I was led to believe that tenant across hallway was a very bad horrible tenant and that these problems were due to a 19-22 year old girl (at the time in 2015) named Montana Pearson who seemed to either be selling drugs or housing homeless people who were heroine/meth shooters. I did not move, but instead helped landlords "turn around" a bad building. Landlord asked me to write a statement to police about tenant next door. I witnessed a meth/chemical cleanup team after suggesting they do a test on the walls, and witness them "remodel" apartment next door. I showcased apartment across hallway because I wanted a good neighbor. Landlords seemed like victims of bad tenants but I realized too late it was the other way around. I pulled out a crumbling carpet that led from the hallway into my apartment because of how dirty it seemed to share the same carpet hallway, that had vomit, regularly spilled drink and garbage sitting on it, and seemed contaminated. When I pulled apartment that led from Hallway into my living room in June-July 2015, I note that the living room carpet had padding that was crumbling. When landlords saw the flooring I installed, they said they were not happy with the fact that I did not ask permission, but because of all the drug problems they would "work with me." I was the only tenant in an empty vacant or months and honestly believed the landlords were victims of bad tenants. They encouraged me to continue working on floor, so I had quarter rounds installed as edging to seal the sides, an additional $500 job. I ordered more panels to repair any damaged panels from moving furniture out. Upon moving out, they sued me for BRAND NEW CARPET; They did not devalue the carpet in court, and kept my flooring for the next tenant. They expected me to be moved out of state as I had notified them, and did now know that I knew. I have receipts, before and after pictures of how I left my apartment, also photos of next tenant's son in apartment after I moved out keeping floor that I installed. The court did not give me a fair trial. Also, upon moving, landlords painted the apartment gray to match my flooring showing intent to keep my flooring while at the same time claiming it as a "loss." They kept over $2000 of work that I made. Had I known, I would have ripped the floor panels out myself instead of being charged $250 to remove floor. When I moved out, building was good because of efforts that I made in collaborating with landlords and police to keep serious drug abusers out. All units were rented out, as I had helped move better tenants in. They sued me for repairs after thousands of dollars of labor and materials, half of which I have receipts for. They have an $1800 judgment against me on a claim that really was not a loss after all, but in fact, really a gain. They tricked me into thinking they were going to pull the floors out that I installed on moving and kept them. From my understanding, this is common practice of landlords in the State of South Dakota, particularly Watertown, Brookings, and Sioux Falls, to make tenants live in degrading conditions, then sue for repairs and claim "loss" on damaged broken items that they fail to repair out of negligence. They take advantage of young people. Landlords will pretend old doors that don't open and close or serve function on the units that they are renting for as "antique" and worth thousands on without evaluations, picture or estimates and the courts allow them to win insurance fraud and money laundering. The state benefits from collaborating fraud at the cost of other people. I have never witnessed anything so outrageous with landlords in the past and have rented for 14 years.

• ร

  รc0гpค LΞGΞИD

  3.0

  A friend of mine there in Watertown drove me to the middle of nowhere after ripping my insulin pump off me, stole my phone from my hand and threw both out the window, then opened a knife I gave her to protect herself against her abusive ex, and told me she was going to kill me… Not to mention every time I tried to exit the vehicle she would accelerate to keep me from being able to leave. Luckily she had a change of heart, but never got arrested the next day which was a total shock to me… They passed it off to the States Attorney… And the state's Attorney also has yet to do anything even though she admitted to most of what she did…

• s

  sophia blakeley

  2.0

  This is a horrible corrupt town. As a tenant trying to move out with my landlords Terri and Neil Mack trying to rob me, and a meth problem across the hallway, police were completely useless. I then took an old, what I believed to be contaminated carpet out and installed my own floors (over $2000) and was "sued" on my way out for a worthless carpet (a form of robbery). The landlords kept my original floors that I installed and did not replace them or return them to me, then rented my place out in 1-3 days later because I had showcased my apartment. They even encouraged me to do more work while I was living there! So i installed quarter round siding to better seal the area. I was not on a lease, up to date on rent and was a very good tenant. You people are horrible disgusting people. If I was a woman getting sex trafficked into a town, you would be worthless. The only reason I give 2 stars instead of 1 is because the mail that i had repeatedly robbed over 2 years was once returned to me ( out of how many times) after the police arrested a guy breaking into cars. They found my mail on him and returned my bank and credit card statements. They would also call me when it snowed to help me move my car and let me know so I would not get towed. But as for real crime, worthless, allowing fraud to take place right in front of you. Renting does not have to be this complicated. Renting and moving out is only this complicated when landlords commit fraud, as in the case with my landlords Neil and Terri Mack. I have rented for 14 years, including two places in Watertown. I moved from across the street 21 1/2 N Broadway with no problems from the previous landlord, and no problems with other landlords my entire life, no evictions. I have rented since 2004 and it was fine until I moved into 18 1/2 N Broadway and rented from Neil and Terri Mack. There was a lot of problems at this location. I thought that the reasons for these problems was the tenant across the hallway, since there was a meth / heroine problem but I realized it was the landlords who try to rob tenants when they move out. As a result of the landlords robbing tenants directly or via civil courts, the tenants don't let the landlords know when they move out in order to protect themselves from being physically and/or legally robbed. If landlords don't want a tenant, they should evict them immediately and get a better tenant. They should not be trying to get more money out of bad tenants that flush needles down toilets and back up the pipes and cause sewage in the bathtub. They evict them IMMEDIATELY upon serious problems. They should not evict them after they move out, or claim an eviction is served if it is not, and they should not try to extend the tenants stay (as in my case), then evict them while the tenant is moving out and trying to move out, and at the same time be preventing a tenant from moving.. It is only this complicated if landlords are commuting FRAUD. This is what, from my understanding, is called FRAUD. I am a good tenant. I am rarely if ever late with rent and if I am, it's by 1 day when I am out of town traveling. I am careful, I don't party, I don't have parties, I don't destroy property, I give notice of intent to move, and I regularly stay at places for 1-3 years (with exception of 21 1/2 that I moved out of after 5 months with permission from landlord to move across street.) There is no reason for landlords to make moving out for tenants traumatizing and destructive unless the landlords are doing something along the lines of FRAUD.

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