Lanham

Neighbors Say Prince George's Home Looks Like a Nightclub After Dark

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Some residents in a Maryland neighborhood are accusing their new neighbors of running an illegal nightclub out of their house.  

They say in the past few months they've watched hundreds of cars drive in and plenty of drunk people leave

“There seems to be a party house, illegal underground-type movement at this one particular house down the street,” Karen Southerland said. “It's what we'd call an afterhours joint.”

The group of mostly senior citizens have lived in the Lanham community for decades. Their Ring cameras and cellphones have captured what appears to be nocturnal partying that sometimes gets loud.

“There’s 25, sometimes 30 cars at a time coming in on a Friday night, Saturday night,” Southerland said. “Saturday and Sunday are the worse.”

A Nest camera recorded man appearing to stumble and fall at the edge of a neighbor’s driveway. He stayed there for almost an hour until a woman helped him up.

“Just the trash, and they don't have a problem with urinating in front of your property when they come out,” Glenn Kersey said. “They don't care.”

A video shows a man wondering aimlessly through people's yards.

“When the police come to the neighborhood, they notify everybody so people are told get back into their cars or lay low, so that when the police come, the neighborhood is just quiet,” Ronald Carlson said.

The homeowner, Christina Tezock, denied they are having parties or hosting a club.

"No, we don't have a party,” she said. “It's just like a meeting. As I told you, it's just like a family meeting that always gather on Saturday. Yeah, it's not a party. Trust me.”

She showed a notice sent to her home from the Department of Permitting Inspections and Enforcement explaining that commercial activity is illegal in residential neighborhoods. She said she plans to continue her gatherings because they are not commercial.

“We don't charge anything for anybody,” she said.

Neighbors say they want their quiet neighborhood back.

“We can’t sleep because of the noise, and it's just not fair,” Southerland said.

The Department of Permitting and Inspections Enforcement and the Prince George’s County Police Department say they will continue to monitor the situation.

The Department of Permitting and Inspections Enforcement released a statement saying they are aware of the complaints and the case will be submitted to the Nuisance Abatement Board this month for a hearing. If a public nuisance exists, the property owner can be fined and face other penalties.

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