SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. (WDRB+WAVE) — A suburban home that neighbors described as a years-long “nightmare” resembling a military bunker is being demolished by the city of Shepherdsville following a lengthy legal battle.
The property, which was heavily fortified by its owner with hundreds of sandbags, barbed wire and a moat, began coming down Tuesday morning.
For neighbors like Valerie Moore, the demolition brings an end to a nearly five-year ordeal. Moore said she often hesitated to leave her own home because of the property next door.
“It is so aggravating because if you go around to the back deck, I see it. If I come out the front, I see it,” Moore said. “I have prayed every night when I say my prayers they would get that cleaned up. I am ready for it to go.”
The home’s owner, Jonathan Cooper, had progressively modified the residence into a makeshift fortification. Neighbors noted that Cooper had previously surrounded the home with fishing line and hooks, which were later replaced with barbed wire.
Neighbors said the extreme modifications sparked fears in the community.
“I was thinking [he was] probably going to build a big... pipe bomb and blow Shepherdsville off the map,” said neighbor David Leroy.
Following a multi-year legal process, the city of Shepherdsville purchased the property through a Master Commissioner’s sale. Cooper was legally barred from returning to the property. He was arrested after returning to the home and was released Tuesday.
“It should have been done a long time ago,” another neighbor, Valerie Moore, said. “I got back about 7:30, and I see all the cars over at the church behind me, and I say, thank you, Lord, something’s going to happen, and it did.”
Officials said the city bought the home after they claimed it posed public safety risks. Moore says she knows about them all to well.
“I called the city, and I’d say you know it’s a health hazard,” Moore said. “It’s not only hurting him, but it’s killing us. I mean, I have to hang fly strips up in my kitchen because the flies and the bugs are so bad. Because as soon as you open my door, they just swarm in. It’s ridiculous that anybody would have to live in that.”
Before demolition equipment moved in on Tuesday, emergency crews and the fire department swept the bunker-like structure to ensure no explosive devices were inside. Authorities confirmed no explosives were found.
Demolition crews on site said the process of tearing down the structure and clearing the debris is expected to continue through Wednesday night.