Black Mold Rampant In Home, Showers, Bathtubs Inoperable, Braidwood Decides Enough Is Enough

BRAIDWOOD, IL — Eric Allen has served as chief of police in Braidwood since the summer of 2025. He has 27 years in law enforcement, previously serving as deputy chief in Shorewood, but he's never seen anything like the inside and out of 360 North Mitchell Street in Braidwood.

An elderly woman and her adult son chose to live in squalor despite repeated efforts from Braidwood city officials and the police department to help them out. The city issued at least four separate code violations and finally with nothing being done, Braidwood filed a lawsuit at the Will County Courthouse against Sharon Melrose. The city of Braidwood officially designated the property as structurally unsafe.

"I personally tried to work with the property owners," Chief Allen told Joliet Patch's editor. "They disregarded our recommendations. There are gaping holes. You can see sunlight in the kitchen areas and when it rains, it rains in the house."

Allen said the back half of the house was completely missing its roof.

On August 24, Braidwood filed a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to vacate the house immediately.

Last week, the controversy was resolved when the elderly woman and her son left their dilapidated house on Mitchell Street and moved closer to town, just a couple blocks away.

"The city's definitely doing the right thing. We could not burn a blind eye," Chief Allen remarked. "It's probably the worst house I have seen in my 27 years of law enforcement. Another storm and the right winds and that roof would have collapsed."

Late last week, the Braidwood City Facebook page drew attention to 360 North Mitchell as part of a lengthy post, advising everyone how "the city of Braidwood is pleased to announce that after contacting the Will County Senior Services Department and other governmental agencies, and family members along with the Braidwood Police Department, the residents of 360 N. Mitchell Street have been safely relocated to a home in Braidwood with relatives."

The city indicated that Braidwood had been given access to the inside of the house to assess its condition and "the home was uninhabitable. Black mold was visible throughout the residence. Large gaps in the roof left potions of the home exposed to the elements and sections of the flooring had developed at a steep angle due to rotted floor joists. Showers and bathtubs were inoperable while rain and moisture had direct access to the living areas. Overall, the living conditions were extremely poor and presented significant health and safety concerns."

Allen said the good news is that a real estate agent is now working to market the property. If the house is demolished, the property would be attractive because it's a very large double lot on a neighborhood corner.

"It's a very nice lot," Allen remarked.

Overall, Chief Allen feels good about where things stand now in regard to 360 North Mitchell, now that the house is completely vacant.

"We have made the situation safe and we are hoping the property owner finds an opportunity to sell the property to another owner who can restore it to a safe condition."