Commission Dismisses Septic Violation Initiated By ‘Squatters’

Crawford County commissioners on Wednesday dismissed a septic system violation that was filed by a family ‘squatting’ in a home. 

Commissioners felt the property owner — Mike Ripplemeyer — inherited an unfavorable situation that he has tried and promised to correct.

The condition of dismissing the violation was allowing the Crawford County Health Department to inspect once the system is fixed.

Ripplemeyer purchased property in February that had another home on it. The seller’s brother was renting the home to another family. Ripplemeyer said they were told to leave, but they refused and the issue went to court until a judge finally ordered them out.

The water and electric had been shut off to the home, but the family got around it by filling the toilet with jugs of water.

In what appeared to be an act of retribution against Ripplemeyer, the family reported a septic system violation to the Crawford County Health Department on March 29.

On April 5, Michelle Rafter of the health department went to inspect and found sewage being piped into a creek. Ripplemeyer told Rafter he would cap the system.

Ripplemeyer’s fix, Rafter said, would not have satisfied the state’s law. “Just them moving out and capping the system is not a fix,” she said. 

Rafter claimed that Ripplemeyer threatened her job, which he denied. He said that Rafter “pleaded with the judge” to give the squatters water to “make the violation more in play.” Rafter disputed Ripplemeyer’s claims. 

After some back and forth, commissioners deliberated before arriving at the conclusion that Ripplemeyer was not at fault.

“Michelle is doing her job and doing it well,” said Presiding Commissioner Leo Sanders. “You didn’t create the situation…it was inherited. We think you tried to correct it.”

Ripplemeyer was given 60 days from May 9 to fix the system, with another 30 days of leniency to allow for inclement weather.

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