Flanked By Marshals, Federal Judge Visits Troubled Trailer Park
In an unusual firsthand look at the conditions of a trailer park, U.S. District Judge Stephen Larson trekked through muddy roads, accompanying inspectors at Duroville on the Torres Martinez Indian Reservation.
At issue are purported dangerous conditions at the mobile home park. Larson, flanked by marshals carrying assault rifles and pepper-ball guns, viewed battered trailers and tangles of wires inspectors from the Bureau of Indian Affairs pointed out, the Los Angeles Times reports. Larson will decide early next month whether to shut the park down.
But before he made a decision that could leave thousands of families homeless, Larson said he wanted to see the place first. The U.S. attorney’s office has asked that the park’s owner be ordered to make immediate repairs or shut the park down.
The unusual court field trip involved a motorcade of 11 vehicles. Larson brought along a court reporter and held a walking public hearing, swearing in witnesses along the way, the Times reports.
