Hopkinsville board finds 1820 S. Virginia St. unsafe, orders maximum fine and abatement

Hopkinsville — The Hopkinsville Code Ordinance Enforcement Board voted Aug. 12 to find the three-unit building at 1820 South Virginia Street in violation of local property-maintenance and fire-safety codes, assess the maximum civil penalty allowed and order abatement of the property, after code and fire officials described extensive structural damage, sewage, electrical overloads and unsafe living conditions with children present.

Code enforcement officer Mark DeArmond told the board the case began after a 2023 complaint about raw sewage and continued through follow-up inspections in 2024 and 2025. “Windows broken, roof shingles or tabs of the shingles broken off, trash and debris and vehicles — things around, have been there,” DeArmond said, summarizing his exterior and interior inspections. He said officers obtained a search warrant after Hopkinsville police reported conditions while they were seeking a suspect and that inspectors found damaged ceilings, missing floor sections, plastic sheeting used to block daylight through exterior walls, used syringes, overloaded electrical circuits and evidence of…