Butler County Sheriff Puts The "Freeze" On Evictions Of Those Without A Place To Go

In Hamilton, Ohio, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports:

• Forced evictions in winter weather and during a recession are "just heartless," Butler County Sheriff Rick Jones says - and he's ordering his deputies to disregard eviction orders when people have nowhere else to live.

• "This is like serving a death sentence, when you're evicting someone from their home in the winter - and I'm not going to do it," Jones said Tuesday. "These situations are going to go back to the courts and be resolved some other way. ... There has to be a moratorium - please - before someone dies this winter."

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• Jones is ordering his deputies to ensure that anyone who is evicted has a place to live. "If you determine that these persons will not have shelter, you are to halt the service of the forced eviction and return the paperwork to the courts," said Jones' order, issued Tuesday.

For more, see Cold evictions blocked (Jones tells deputies to ignore orders).

For story updates, see:

• Eviction refusals slammed (Butler Co. sheriff attracts criticism),
• Evictions straining deputies, residents.