It’s an odd pattern of truth, perhaps humorous, but it turns out not to be funny.
Tenant Michael Nien accused of turning on a high-pressure fire hose valve while naked, causing $14 million in damages by flooding a 28-story building on Van Ness Avenue, allegedly had meth in his body Amphetamines and cocaine. According to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Flooding flooded corridors, staircases and hundreds of apartments, affecting more than 700 residents, the outlet reported.
Nien, who pays about $2,600 a month for apartments in the building, was charged with felony vandalism and resisting arrest. Nien’s assault charge for allegedly biting a police officer was dropped.
Nean’s attorneys filed a motion to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor, citing the suspect’s intoxication at the time of the incident. Nien pleaded not guilty.
At a hearing to have the charges reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor, developer Oz Erickson, whose company, Emerald Fund, built the building, and Emerald Fund partner Brynn McKiernan opposed the motion, citing damages to about 260 displaced people. Residents caused extensive damage three months after repairs were completed.
They said flooding severely damaged the building’s elevator system, leaving elderly residents to climb the stairs, including one who had been unable to leave the penthouse for five days. Of the 145 units damaged, 45 were below market price, exacerbating the impact on vulnerable residents.
“I saw a woman older than me climb the stairs of a 28-story building, and every time she landed she had to stop, panting,” Erickson, 74, said, according to the Chronicle. We had to do everything we could to get the elevators up and running.”
Because of the displacement, the family spent major holidays at the hotel, including Halloween, Thanksgiving and winter, McKinen said.
“The stories we heard [tenants]The mental anguish was really hard to hear, McKennan added, according to the Chronicle. “They don’t have a home as a refuge during these difficult times.”
The flooding has also affected the profitability of the building, which is 85 per cent owned by the builders’ union pension fund, they said.
The incident follows complaints from residents about Nien’s confrontational behavior, including a Facebook rant that allegedly accused a resident of making threats.
Meanwhile, the judge extended the hearing until July 21. The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, which represents Nien, did not comment to the media.
— Ted Glazer
