Clermont County drops lawsuit as St. Andrews owner agrees to more police, tries to sell

The owners of the St. Andrews apartment and condominium development in Clermont County have agreed to pay for more police protection and to try to sell the property, county officials announced Tuesday.

Matt Miller-Novak confirmed with the Enquirer the owners, based in Utah, agreed to these measures in exchange for the county dropping a lawsuit filed in May calling the property a nuisance.

Clermont County Prosecutor Mark Tekulve said the owners agree to pay Pierce Township for 40 hours of off-duty police details each week, whereas before they were only paying for three. The prosecutors said the owners will also immediately begin efforts to sell the property.

The owners will also begin screening out new tenants with any convictions for violence or felony drug offenses, Tekulve said, as well as providing a tenant list to police.

More:Clermont officials were concerned about crime, complaints at apartment complex. So they sued.

“Public safety is my number one priority. With this agreement, police presence is increased more than tenfold; protecting the safety of the residents, guests, and neighbors," Tekulve said in a statement. "Property owners throughout Clermont County should be on notice, we will not tolerate or condone the conditions found here, and will work proactively to shut down havens for drug abuse, violence, and murder.”

The prosecutor's office stated the property was not being maintained and the owners had allowed the property to become a haven for criminals.

Clermont County Sheriff's Office Lt. Dominic DeRose was shot on the property in 2019. He and Detective Bill Brewer attempted to enter an apartment after they believed a suspect had taken his own life, but they were ambushed, court documents state. Brewer was killed.

"In the past few years, over half the murders that have taken place in Clermont County have been committed at the property," the lawsuit stated.

Millier-Novack said his clients are satisfied with the settlement and offered no further comment on the matter.