by Matt Marquardt –
MASON CITY – A Mason City couple is being evicted from their lot in Gracious Estates in Mason City and say they have no place to go.
Mike Chapin and his husband, James, have been served a 60 day notice from the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office to leave their lot in Gracious Estates mobile home park where they have lived since July of 2011.
They are living at lot #167, in a trailer they bought from Gracious Estates through the management there. They paid $1500 for it and say they put $5,000 to $6,000 of their own money into the place. They also paid some back taxes on the trailer in order to secure the deed.
Now, they are being forced to move. One option they have is to take their trailer with them and leave Gracious Estates, but the cost would be very high. They could sell the trailer, but that is difficult as well in today’s market.
“There’s no reason stated on the eviction notice,” Mike explained Thursday in an interview. “My husband and I have no idea what this is all about.”
Mike said the stress of the eviction has taken its toll on him and James. Mike did say that James is on Iowa’s sex offender list but it wasn’t for a crime against a child, but rather for a crime against “a person 4 or 5 years younger.”
“It’s making things rough between us,” Mike said of the eviction. I’ve had to go on anti-depressant medication.”
Mike says no lawyers he has contacted thus far will take a look at his case. He wanted to ask any attorneys reading this story to contact him at his trailer if there is an interest in looking at the case.
Ken Brenton is the owner of Gracious Estates and was contacted for comment Thursday. His comments were that he “has empathy for all his customers” but would not go on the record about any details of the eviction of the two men.
He did say that he is “satisfied with the positive trends taking place right now in the park.”
Watch video interview with Mike Chapin:
httpv://youtu.be/onzvQzEGcN0
