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ASHLAND — The City of Ashland has filed suit against a defiant junkyard owner whose fence for years has failed to fence.
Barbara Tucker, the owner of Ashland Auto Salvage LLC, faces three criminal misdemeanors related to a failing fence that residents and city officials have complained about for years.
Ashland Municipal Court records show the case, filed Oct. 29, was set for a pre-trial hearing on Dec. 2. However, the defense attorney for Tucker asked for a continuance because he needed more time to explore the issue, according to Ashland City Assistant Law Director Andrew Bush.
The court granted a continuance and set the next hearing date for Feb. 9, when all three charges will be discussed.
Tucker’s Cleveland-based attorney, John B. Gibbons, was not immediately available for comment.
City officials have addressed the issue over the past six years. Shane Kremser, Ashland’s engineer, sent letters demanding a fix by Tucker in 2019 and again in 2022.
The city even filed suit in 2020 following the failed letter attempt 13 months prior. The case, which centered on the placement of the fence in a city right of way, has since been closed.
In 2022, the letter prompted a meeting with a fence contractor. But the fence contractor told Kremser that Tucker wouldn’t commit to fixing the fence.Â
Residents along West 14th Street have described the squabble as a safety issue, saying they’ve witnessed “men with backpacks” walk into the junkyard through open parts of the fence.
Residents have also complained about the fence’s aesthetic.
