Hilltop property connected to drugs, violent crime to be shut down by city

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A court order has been obtained to shut down a house in the Hilltop that police were called to numerous times for various crimes and drug activity.

Columbus City attorney Zach Klein announced on Tuesday that 91 Orel Avenue was boarded up by Columbus police after obtaining the court order. Klein's office said the address belonged to an individual who had died and was used to sell drugs for months.

Court documents said that police were called to the property dozens of times since 2021, including for three reports of shots being fired during this spring. Police also received a call about drugs being sold from the home and of a fight nearby during the fall of 2023.

In the later part of 2023, multiple people were arrested at the house for charges including theft and stealing a vehicle. Authorities also received a call about a man being held in the basement, later to be found with blood on his head.

Additionally, court documents said that the Franklin County Sheriff's Office surveyed the property in April after reports of gunfire and drugs continuing to be sold. The FCSO intercepted one person who said they had bought methamphetamine and used it inside the house.

The city also noted the house had multiple code violations, including people living in tents and other "temporary dwellings on the site."