Tenants of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house are not unfamiliar with eviction notices tacked to their doors, but Demetrios Prokos isn’t after the organization — he just wants the 12 residents to obey his lease.
“We’re not evicting the organization. We’re evicting the people who are renting the house,” he said, specifically citing his no-tolerance drug policy as a means of contention.
Eviction notices hit the 12 N. College St. door beginning in January, demanding that the 12 Pi Kappa Alpha members and any other occupants vacate the premises.
The notice was not obeyed, so Prokos, of 8 N. College, LLC, issued another one.
He then filed a complaint against the tenants in Athens County Municipal Court in February. The defendants requested the matter be moved to Athens County Common Pleas Court.
The case was dismissed March 16 because of a procedural defect in the notices.
One March evening — while the case was pending — an Athens Police officer observed a woman fall on several glass bottles in front of the fraternity before entering. While checking on the woman’s injuries, the officer detected an overwhelming odor of marijuana, and a search warrant was executed, according to the warrant.
Police seized marijuana and drug paraphernalia inside the residence. To date, charges have yet to be filed, according to an Athens Police report.
Athens Police officers were unavailable for comment.
Though one month has passed since the search, Ohio University has not been notified of any illicit behavior.
“We have not received any reports of behavioral violations,” Dean of Students Ryan Lombardi said.
Though he is aware that the group is fighting the latest eviction notification, Lombardi said the university is not a part of the dispute with the property owner.
“We have not received any police reports,” Lombardi said. “If such violations (are true), we would certainly respond.”
Chris Blackburn, associate director of greek life and leadership at Ohio University, said he was unaware of police officers even entering the residence.
Greek life does not have jurisdiction regarding privately owned fraternity and sorority houses, he said.
“We learned of at least one (of the) eviction notices … but we received no traditional responses from OUPD or APD that would require a follow-up,” he said.
Since the failed February case, eviction notices have been posted twice on the tenants’ bedroom doors.
“They can fight it, but they have broken the laws and they have broken the lease regulations,” Prokos said, citing weekly property damage.
An eviction-debt collection action was filed last week in Athens County Common Pleas Court.
OU’s Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity declined comment.
af234909@ohiou.edu
