I-TEAM: City won’t repair damage to Jacksonville man’s property that occurred during SWAT standoff

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A homeowner turned to the News4Jax I-TEAM aft the metropolis of Jacksonville refused to repair harm to his spot caused by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office SWAT squad successful July.

Robert Vansickle, an Army veteran, said dense machinery that the SWAT squad utilized ruptured an underground sewer enactment and damaged his privateness obstruction and a factual slab. This happened portion constabulary attempted to apprehend a execution fishy who had nary transportation to his neighborhood.

That fishy -- 21-year-old Ronnie Johnson, who didn’t unrecorded successful the vicinity connected Dunn Avenue -- was recovered hiding underneath a mobile location adjacent doorway to the Vansickle household earlier being taken into custody.

Robert Vansickle said the SWAT squad utilized his backyard to signifier during the standoff, and the fishy ne'er stepped ft connected his property.

″I had 1 connected the beforehand structure 2 connected the roof, and 2 connected my garage,” Vansickle said.

He said JSO’s Bobcat took retired 80 feet of his privateness obstruction and damaged a factual block. He said the dense machinery besides ruptured the sewer enactment that runs from his septic vessel to his house.

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“Since then, I haven’t been capable to usage my bath successful the master. I conscionable get backflow from the toilet,” Vansickle said.

Vansickle said helium filed a assertion with the metropolis of Jacksonville for repairs to his spot and received a missive from the city’s Risk Management Division which reads successful part: “I indispensable counsel you your assertion is being denied. The responsibility is with Mr. Ronnie Lee Johnson Jr. the fugitive that was captured. To record restitution against Mr. Johnson you would request to scope retired to the State Attorney’s office.”

Vansickle said Johnson, who is presently successful the Duval County jailhouse connected a execution charge, volition ne'er beryllium capable to wage him back. He said helium can’t spend to combat for that wealth successful tribunal and said the metropolis knows that.

He said helium doesn’t blasted JSO for doing its occupation but feels similar the metropolis is passing the subordinate to a execution suspect.

“For them to archer maine they are not going to hole my property, which has nary ties astatine each to the fishy -- the fishy ne'er adjacent came connected my spot -- for them not to wage for my damage, I enactment arsenic a pizza transportation driver, I don’t person the wealth to wage for each this,” Vansickle said.

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The I-TEAM has been going backmost and distant with the metropolis of Jacksonville.

We were told the officers were chasing a fugitive astatine the clip and did not enactment successful a negligent mode and would not beryllium paying for the repairs.

Again, Vansickle doesn’t blasted officers for doing their job, but he’s stuck with an costly messiness that helium feels the metropolis should wage to fix.

We past asked if the metropolis would wage for the contiguous repairs and past person the metropolis beryllium paid backmost from the suspect. We were told no.

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