COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Some Cobb County residents say they're ready to take a stand against a neighbor who has turned their subdivision into a code enforcement battlefield.
Consumer Investigator Jim Strickland was in court with three residents of Bells Ferry Landing as they asked for a jury trial.
One neighbor is responsible for nearly 400 citations. Code enforcement can't stop her, and residents are hoping the courts can.
Cherie Eason is facing more than $850 in fines for a guest who parked a tire on her grass.
"I don't think it's any big deal. This is my car and my yard," she said.
[READ: Records show woman called code enforcement on neighbors hundreds of times]
The code enforcement complaint was swift, from frequent-filer Deborah Serafin. Serafin is responsible for nearly all of the 413 complaints the county has received in recent years.
"This has been our home for over 30 years. This is where we raised our kids. We raised them in a good neighborhood, not in a neighborhood that has a bully," said Eason.
Eason is a paralegal at law firm near the courthouse. She and other neighbors brought a lawyer and a strategy to have a trial and send a message.
"We want to get these cases in front of a judge. We feel like this is harrasment," said attorney Marijane Cauthorn.
Code Enforcement has told Strickland they're obligated to investigate and enforce the law if a complaint proves valid.
[READ: Cobb code enforcement must respond to every call]
Serafin refused to speak with Strickland when he found out about the situation last summer.
Serafin didn't come to the door Thursday to speak about perhaps having to testify. Eason plans to subpoena her for trial.
"Yeah, she's got me mad. I am ready to get her on. I really am," said Eason
Serafin has said she has the right to live in a clean neighborhood, and the right to report any violation that, in her eyes, brings down the subdivision.
The neighbors are planning on a trial sometime in April.
Cox Media Group
