I am deeply disturbed by the response of local government personnel to the grand jury report. I truly expected better. I did not expect lies and cover up.

I am the neighbor who sent a written complaint to the health department about the lack of sanitary conditions in 2006, not 2007. The inspector I talked to was told two adults and two teenagers were living there. Contaminated ground water drains directly to the Merced River from here. Nothing was done.

I am the neighbor Vicky refrred to as “having a blast” with while making apple cider. One reason she was happy that day was because that was the day our local sheriff came out to check on my concerns about a 16-year-old girl left alone for three weeks.

The deputy was very professional. She took many pictures, statements from all of us present. She recorded the appalling conditions Vicky was living with. Vicky was very happy to do whatever the deputy asked. She believed things were going to improve. I do not know what child protective services was told by Vicky’s step-father. I only know no one ever came to check, and Vicky went back to sleeping under the table and using the forest for a toilet.

I did not know she was still alone most of the time, as her brother had joined the Navy and was gone. I thought her mother was home with her while the step-father was working.

Vicky had her 17th birthday in February. She gave up. By the end of the month, she was dead.

I finally called our county supervisor to get a septic tank installed.

The garbage and junk situation still exists. Fire danger is high. There are four, one-thousand gallon butane tanks surrounded by dead pine needles, dry grass, paper cups, and more. No 100-foot clearance done. I hoped that after the fire losses in 2008, the fire department would enforce fire prevention. But no one came out to inspect when I requested it.

Shirley Kimbro