TUCSON. Ariz. (KGUN)
Meeting the neighbors on 40th Street
In just one year, November 2023 to November 2024, the Tucson Police Department received more than 200 calls to a boarding home on Tucson’s south side. Neighbors were concerned about frequent visits from first responders, trash build-up, and other exterior issues with the property.
In April, neighbors gathered at an adjacent home to discuss their concerns with KGUN 9’s Southside Reporter Reyna Preciado.
Neighbors described what they had been experiencing for several months at the time. Among their initial concerns was the volume of trash piling up at the home next door.
“The trash cans are so full all the time, so they just leave them there. I don’t know if you can smell it right now. But if you walk over that way you’re going to smell it. You’re going to see it,” said one of the neighbors, Adan Perez.
In addition to the trash, they brought up concerns about frequent visits from first responders.
“Ambulance every day. We wake up two, three times a night,” said neighbor Ramon Mendivil.
At the time of the meeting, the property was still a mystery to neighbors. From the street, one could see multiple buildings on the property behind a gated fence. Neighbors said they were unsure what type of facility was operating onsite, and they wanted to know what was causing the high number of disturbances.
“If we call 9-1-1, they tell us to call 3-1-1. We call 3-1-1, they tell us to call the narcotic hotline. I do it. It gets me nowhere,” said neighbor Paul Torres. “So what do we do?”
A quest for answers: Inquiring about neighbors’ concerns to state and government agencies
Over several months, KGUN 9’s Reyna Preciado investigated their concerns, reaching out to government and state agencies regarding the home. It became a months-long search for answers, starting with the nature of the housing.
The first two months involved meetings with neighbors, phone calls, and driving by the property. In May, some neighbors noted an improvement in the trash, describing how it had mostly been cleaned. Still, concerns surrounding neighborhood safety were brought up.
Shortly after that meeting, the front of the property displayed this sign:
A records request to the Tucson Police Department uncovered just how many 911 calls had been made to the addresses of the homes on the property: KGUN 9 counted 235 calls in total listed on dispatch records between November 2023 and November 2024.
Of those, the call logs showed 33 requests for welfare checks, 33 requests for the Mental Health Support Team or Crisis Line, and 43 reports for fights or assaults.
A statement from TPD explained officers found no criminal violations by property management, with most calls related to quality-of-life issues.
According to TPD, the concerns were reported to Code Enforcement and the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS).
Getting answers: Three months after KGUN met with Neighbors, ADHS takes action against property owner.
“I just feel personally that any place that’s helping people needs to have some kind of regulations to where they can sit down and say ‘Hey you can have a boarding home, but it needs to be monitored’,” neighbor Paul Torres said during an interview in November.
KGUN 9 reached out to ADHS and in November, a spokesperson responded stating five cease-and-desist letters were issued to the “owner” in July.
According to the Arizona Department of Health Services:
“After receiving complaints that unlicensed facilities were unlawfully operating at these addresses, we promptly investigated. As a result, on July 16th, we issued the owner five cease and desist letters that they are currently appealing.”
A second court hearing is scheduled with ADHS and the owner of the property for Feb. 19.
A public records request for the letters showed ADHS alleged there was evidence from an inspection in May following a complaint regarding the operation of an unlicensed facility. The letters state an inspector subsequently went to the property and allegedly found evidence of four unlicensed sober living homes and one health care institution.
According to the letters, an ADHS inspector cited evidence of the boarding home providing counseling, assisting with medication, and transporting residents. The letters allege the property owner did not have a license, a requirement by ADHS for such facilities.
The letters were addressed to Murego Johnson, who went before a judge during an administrative hearing in December to appeal the allegations.
Question takes center stage: Who is responsible for the boarding home?
On Dec. 16, ADHS presented the case before the Arizona Office of Administrative Hearings arguing the allegations in the cease-and-desist letters.
Murego Johnson is listed on Pima County Assessor records as the owner of the property.
Carlos Estavillo is listed with the Arizona Corporation Commission as the owner of “GTOOGBOARDINGHOME LLC,” as of July 25, 2024.
Estavillo testified at the hearing that G too G Boarding Home was his business. In court, Johnson testified there may be sober living facilities onsite, but denied taking part in operations. Murego Johnson did not respond to our requests for interviews before sharing this story.
The administrative judge moved the hearing to a later date, scheduled to continue Feb. 19.
As KGUN 9 follows the case, some neighbors have described their community on 40th Street, expressing how they've spent more than a year feeling unsafe.
“It went from us living here for four or five years. With no cameras, no locks on my gates. I didn’t have to keep my yard closed all the time. Now, I have cameras all around,” said Torres in November. “We feel like we’re kind of trapped in our own homes in a sense.”
City of Tucson issues a citation following months of investigating complaints
City of Tucson Code Enforcement is also preparing to take legal action after issuing several code enforcement violations.
“They had a permit for an adult care center, but they were running a group home,” said Martin Lopez, a supervisor for Tucson Code Enforcement, referring to zoning permits.
Johnson, the owner of the property, was scheduled for a pre-arraignment hearing in Tucson City Court in December. We reached out to the City of Tucson Code Enforcement agency. They told KGUN 9 that they have another court date regarding the alleged enforcement violations with Johnson in April 2025.
“He complies, we close the case. If it gets to the point where the court order says, ‘okay I’m going to abate the violation,’ we enforce it, we call TPD to be there with us just in case there’s any kind of aggression. We board it up if we have to, we secure it,” said Lopez.
Neighbor Paul Torres reflected on the many months he and his neighbors have been waiting for answers.
“The past year and a half, it was crazy. That’s why we got everyone involved,” Torres said.
Despite allegations and complaints from several neighbors, business owner defends the boarding home
Carlos Estavillo, the man who claimed responsibility for the boarding home during the December hearing, told KGUN 9 in November that the code violations are being addressed. Estavillo has declined to answer further questions, but provided the following response in November which states in part:
“Thank you for reaching out to me and letting me know that you are planning to run a story. In your email, you state that the story being ran will address issues such as code enforcement violations and calls made to TPD. You also mention the impact GtooG has had on the neighborhood. As I’m sure you have done your due diligence, you will have noted that the active code violations are being addressed. Such as the zoning issue we are taking care of. Some of the code violations have also been falsely made, such as there being no water. I understand that their is one neighbor that does not like the idea of GtooG and has gone to great lengths to make things difficult for us. Unfortunately, it is very disheartening that he does not see the good that GtooG does for the community. We house many individuals, that society would normally discard. Not to mention it helps to curb the homeless situation we face here in Tucson. I’m aware you have spoken to some of the surrounding neighbors. They have made me aware of where they stand on the issues and though there is no direct concern with GtooG, but, with other homeless people not associated with us. I would hope that in your story that is reflected. Just because there are homeless people in the area, that does not mean they are affiliated with us.”
We reached out to neighbors Paul Torres and Ramon Mendivil again in February, they say they stand by the sentiments expressed during interviews in November.
In December, KGUN 9 learned another agency was investigating the boarding home
Between August 2023 and November 2024, the Adult Protective Services program under the Department of Economic Security (DES) conducted 38 investigations. The program investigates complaints relating to abuse, exploitation, and neglect of vulnerable adults.
As of late December, five investigations were still open. On Jan. 14, a DES spokesperson confirmed the allegations of the closed investigations were unsubstantiated. DES has not responded to our requests for clarification on the status of the five investigations that were still open as of December.
KGUN 9 will continue to follow this story and will provide updates as they become available.
——-
Reyna Preciado is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after graduating Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Reyna by emailing reyna.preciado@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or Twitter.
