To the editor:
Once again, our northwest Brunswick neighborhood’s reputation as an emerging good and decent place to live has been assaulted at the hands of another absentee landlord.
A front- page report in The Times Record on March 19 alleged that Aaron Fickett, who lived at 71 Cumberland St., was found growing marijuana not only in his apartment but also in a vacant apartment. Also discovered were marijuana-growing equipment, various kinds of prescription pills and $2,400 in cash, along with five loaded semi-automatic weapons, ballistic vests and ammunition strategically place throughout his apartment.
According to Brunswick town records, this building is owned by Parsons Creek Propertie LLC, and 192 Mill Street, Edgecomb, Maine.
Several unanswered questions to this story need answers because it poses a serious threat to the well-being of our neighborhood and to the Brunswick community.
How could this person obtain a license to grow medical marijuana in a neighborhood apartment undetected by anyone and without a background check uncovering prior offenses?
Did he legally purchase and register these guns?
Can the landlord face legal trouble for the tenant dealing drugs on the rental property?
Can the community sue the landlord for criminal liability on the basis that the property poses a danger to the community?
Did the landlord knowingly allow drug dealing on the rental property?
Did the landlord take rent payment in cash, which might throw up a red flag?
How well is the landlord overseeing his property; in this case, was he ever aware of the use of a second apartment for growing marijuana?
Did he overlook the odor in the apartments without questioning their use?
Landlords have a responsibility to the community to do everything possible to ensure that they have good tenants, such as screening them for any criminal history and running credit reports on potential tenants.
Since landlords are in the business to make money, they should be concerned about their rental property decreasing in value because of illegal activities and disrepair which would make it harder to find good tenants.
I hope that The Times Record will continue to pursue this story to increase community awareness about the criminal activity that erodes the fabric of our community.
Once again, we need to acknowledge publicly the fine work of our police force for uncovering this illegal activity, thus preventing potential harm to Brunswick citizens.
Anne “Vicky” Marr,
Brunswick
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less