SPOKANE, Wash. – A homeowner, Aaron Niemi, looked through his home security video Monday morning and was shocked to find footage of an individual lighting a fire in his front yard overnight.
The security video shows that just after 2:45 a.m. Monday, someone was lighting a fire in the mulch bed along a fence on Niemi’s property.
The person in the video appears to be attempting to spread the fire throughout the mulch bed and onto Niemi’s fence.
Niemi told NonStop Local that this is not the first instance of crime outside of or on his Browne’s Addition property.
He said he often witnesses drug use in front of his home and has been subject to theft and harassment.
“I can come out here and just say ‘Hey guys, please respect my property. Don’t smoke drugs here.’ And typically, they are nice. Sometimes they’re not. I’ve had ’em confront me with hatchets. I’ve had people urinate, defecate, about everything that can happen, happens right here on a regular basis,” Niemi said.
Niemi told NonStop Local that he regularly calls the Spokane Police Department (SPD) about incidents on or in front of his home.
SPD confirmed with NonStop Local that they did take a report about the fire being lit. However, they said they did not respond, since there did not appear to be a threat to the public.
“I’ve been told by the police I should probably move because it’s ‘Only going to get worse.’ So, take that for what it’s worth,” Niemi said.
