(KTTS News) — The Greene County sheriff is defending the removal of several homeless camps in Springfield and Greene County.

He says he was acting in response to requests from property owners who complained about the camps and the trash left behind.

Sheriff Jim Arnott says he’s just standing up for those property owners who don’t want people trespassing on their land.

Arnott says most of the landowners don’t have the money to clean up the mess.

But he’s been contacted by businesses and individuals who’ve offered dumpsters and equipment to help.

Press Release

As the elected Sheriff of Greene County, I have promised to uphold the law and protect the constitutional rights of our citizens.

It is my duty and obligation to respond to crime and assist citizens who are seeking law enforcement action.

I want to make it very clear, that when a person enters onto the property of another or remains unlawfully, whether it’s a poacher on a farmer’s rural land or a person setting up camp on private property in the city, they are trespassing and this is a crime.

A property owner / land owner is under no obligation to delay the removal of the trespasser or permit the continued trespassing or occupancy of their property by a trespasser.

During the summer of 2022, I began responding to the outcries of Greene County Citizen’s whose private properties within the city of Springfield and outside the city had been overrun by trespassers who had set up illegal encampments.

These criminals had damaged and contaminated their land, polluted their waterways, and cut down their trees.

These criminals had littered acres and acres of property with garbage, stolen property and hazardous items such as drug paraphernalia, syringes, chemicals and human excrement.

These criminals had set up dangerous booby traps and instruments which would seriously harm the property owners or anyone not aware of them.

At the request of private property owners, I responded with deputies to a number of their properties and arrested and removed these trespassers from their land.

Leaving behind for the property owners an indescribable, overwhelming amount of hazardous garbage.

While some of these property owners have the financial resources to clean up and remove this garbage, most do not.

These people are left concerned about local government deadlines and cleanup fines with no resources to help restore
their land and properties back to a safe and clean environment.