HARTLY, DE - Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings says she has shut down a property in Kent County nicknamed “The Animal House” due to repeated criminal activity.
Jennings’ office says the closure of the property on Slaughter Station Road follows an investigation into multiple complaints ranging from toxic fumes from illegal bonfires, harboring of fugitives, and drug production, distribution, and use. The drug activity, according to the Department of Justice, led to multiple overdoses, one deadly.
Over the last eight years, Jennings’ office says police responded to about 160 complaints at the property.
Shawn Haley, 59, was ordered on May 9, 2025 to shut down the property on Slaughter Station Rd. after it was declared a criminal nuisance. Under the ruling, all leases associated with the property were voided and all tenants, including Haley, were required to leave by May 12, according to Jennings.
"All Delaware landlords have a legal and moral obligation to follow the law and maintain their properties accordingly- full stop,” said Attorney General Jennings. “In both the nature and sheer amount of crimes occurring, this property posed an unprecedented risk to the community and the government agencies tasked with protecting it; it simply could not be allowed to continue. I am grateful to our prosecutors and the Delaware State Police for their swift and decisive action, the community is much safer for it.”
Prosecutors say the property will remain closed until a permanent abatement hearing that has yet to be scheduled.