Rats encounters become concern in Lincoln Crossing

Some residents are concerned about the increasing number of rats found in Lincoln Crossing. "I've killed close to 100 rats recently," said Ron Carpenter of Lincoln Crossing. "Most of them are coming out of the bushes that they've turned into breeding grounds." Carpenter, who has lived in Lincoln Crossing since 1999, said he didn't have a problem with rats until about six years ago. When the rat population increased over the last year, Carpenter said, he set traps around his home's perimeter on Danby Lane and set up surveillance to find where they're coming from. He went from seeing rats on occasion to catching up to six each night. Carpenter said they're probably coming from the long stretch of bushes on Danby Lane and climbing up overgrown trees near homes in Lincoln Crossing. "It's been getting worse and is turning into a very costly situation," Carpenter said. "The rats got into my garage and ate through the electrical wiring in my car. It cost over $800 to fix and others in my neighborhood have experienced the same thing." In a recent Facebook post, Christina Vasquez of Lincoln Crossing said the rats cost $6,000 worth of damage to her van parked in the driveway. "Cars come in here with rodent damage pretty often, at least once a week," said Jessa Boyd, George's Friendly Auto Service manager in Lincoln. "Rats go under the hood and get into places you can't see. They build nests there and just wreak havoc on vehicles." A tell-tale sign of rodent damage, Boyd said, is droppings found under the hood during inspections. "Some damage can happen overnight but most of it happens over time after they've already made the vehicle a home," Boyd said. "People aren't looking under their hoods until it's too late." Carpenter said he reached out to Lincoln code enforcement several times to resolve the rat issue. "If there's a problem, I want to solve it," said Lincoln code enforcement officer Tim Jeakel. "I can't provide a solution until I know the source. There could be a home in the area with a hoarding issue or something else attracting them. " Jeakel said he has a vested interest in figuring out what's going on as a longtime Lincoln resident.. "This is my community and where I call home. My goal is to provide residents with the right resources because it helps to achieve a better quality of life for everyone," Jaekel said. If the source of the rats is the strip of bushes on Danby Lane, Jaekel said, "residents should bring it to the attention of the Lincoln Crossing Homeowners Association because that's who owns them." "The city isn't responsible for clearing out rats. However, we can recommend resources like cleaning services, HOA or pest control," Jeakel said. "Every home experiencing rats should have pest control come out regularly. An issue that has been building over the years isn't going to go away overnight. Residents should keep having pest control come out until they see the results they want."