Aldine nuisance property finally cleared after being used as cover for crime

ALDINE, Texas (KTRK) -- Multiple agencies in Harris County worked together to clean up a magnet for crime, rodents, and dangerous meth lab fires.

Pct. 2 Harris County sheriff's deputies said they were familiar with the property on Nicar near Airline Drive. People had been reporting it to their nuisance abatement program since 2016. Thanks to federal funding, the cleaning process started Monday.

Heavy machinery cleared tires, shopping carts, cans, rags, and furniture dumped on the lot. It was full of unsightly garbage that leaders said acted as cover for illegal activity.

"Most of these sites tend to be crime magnets. They tend to attract the most unhealthy and unsafe circumstances that a community can bear," Pct. 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia said.

Garcia said the county typically can clear one to two dozen properties like this one per year.

However, $3 million from the Biden administration will help pay to clear 200 properties in his precinct. There are an estimated 2,000 nuisance properties across the county.

The property owners in Aldine are now responsible for keeping the lot clean.

For updates on this story, follow Briana Conner on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.