City Council Meeting Discusses John Kemp Properties

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Emotions were high at the city council meeting Monday evening, as they discussed the properties owned by John Kemp.

John Kemp, a local landlord, was recently convicted of felonies associated with Kylee Lindell. He owns 67 rental properties in the area, and could potentially surrender his properties to the City of Zanesville. Many renters of the properties were there and spoke to the Council about their concerns of losing their homes and their personal struggles. Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the Muskingum County Prosecuter’s Office, John Litle, said that the tenants of Kemp are very much victims in the issue.

“They’re not responsible for what Mr. Kemp did. He’s operating his real estate in a way that violates the law which has kind of led to this situation. But they’re just victims as tenants in some of the places where they weren’t necessarily involved in this case,” he said.

Council President, Daniel Vincent, told the community members at the meeting that as of now, the city is not involved since it is still a legal matter and the case is still pending sentencing. Litle said there will be a transition process if the properties are turned over to the city.

“It’s important for people to know, we’re not just going to be coming in here and kicking people out of their houses or anything. There’s going to be time to transition. We’re not trying to create a crisis for victims of this crime,” he mentioned.

Litle is working on speaking with community leaders and landlords around the area to secure places for people to live. He said the city will need to make a decision soon concerning the properties.