Unlicensed former assisted living facility shut down by the Pueblo Health Department

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Robert Spano has lived on 403 W. 13th St. in Pueblo for years.

He originally moved into the Johnson Home, an assisted living facility for disabled adults. On November 12th, he and 21 other people were evicted and left with no place to live.

The Pueblo County Health and Environment shut down the building and deemed it "unsafe to occupy."

"It just so happened that I wound up at the worst possible assisted living facility in Pueblo County," Robert Spano said. He told KRDO the building has been overrun by drugs and gangs, making the living conditions inside borderline uninhabitable.

"Everything started from about midnight on. There would be drug activity. I've found syringes in the bathrooms. I've found people having sex in the laundry rooms," Spano said.

In the days after the closure of the building, Pueblo Police made a series of arrests on the property.

"We contacted roughly 37 people. Out of those 37 people, nine arrests were made for warrants. The house was boarded up, and unfortunately the next day we went back and cited six people for trespassing and unauthorized occupancy," Sgt. Frank Ortega said.

The building owners are Paul and Allen Spicola. Many who lived there, and were subsequently evicted, called on them to support their tenants.

"I believe it is their responsibility to make sure regardless to make sure that these people are housed some way or another," Spano said.

Paul Spicola denied an on-camera interview with KRDO regarding the closure of his building. He did speak off camera, and stated the building was a place for people who would otherwise be out on the streets. He gave people a chance and a place to live. However, it just didn't work out.

He says people stopped paying their rent and began to bring people onto the property that should not have been there. Additionally, he said the reason for the closure was faulty smoke detectors.

KRDO spoke with the Regional Building Department, which was involved in the decision to close the building. They stated the living conditions inside were inhabitable. The only thing left to do was close it because of the conditions.

There has been no timetable given the reopening of the building. The owners say they are beginning the process to renovate it and reopen again in the future.