Brookhaven Town demolishes home, charges owner with violations

Brookhaven Town has torn down a Medford house for alleged safety violations.

The house, at 77 Whitepine Way, was razed on Tuesday because it was “unfit for human occupancy due to a collapsed ceiling, rotted main floor support, large holes in the side walls, interior walls blocked from garbage and debris restricting a clear egress,” town officials said Thursday in a news release.

Town officials said the home’s owner, John Primrose, has been charged with violations of the town building code, including failure to maintain the property, having an unsafe structure and leaving it unfit for habitation.

Efforts to reach Primrose were unsuccessful.

The cost of tearing down the house and removing demolition debris will be attached to Primrose’s property tax bill, town officials said.

The demolition was the fourth time the town has razed a home since July 18 under new rules intended to make it easier to condemn unsafe structures.