A tenant of a federally subsidized housing complex for seniors and disabled people on South Avenue is facing eviction after threatening to kill the people there, according to court documents.
The Schoolhouse Apartments building was constructed in 1931 as New Canaan’s first junior high school, complementing the original New Canaan High School, built in 1927 (now the New Canaan Police Department next door). Credit: Michael Dinan
The Schoolhouse Apartments resident last month “threatened to inflict bodily harm upon another tenant or the landlord” and had the ability to do so, according to a complaint filed June 21 in state Superior Court.
He “was overheard stating that he was going to kill everyone in the Schoolhouse Apartments and the Defendant made further threats to shoot everyone in the Schoolhouse Apartments,” according to the complaint filed by attorney James Hirschfield of Litchfield-based Cramer & Anderson on behalf of the plaintiff, Schoolhouse Apartments Inc.
“The staff and residents of the Schoolhouse Apartments are extremely fearful of their safety from the Defendant,” Hirschfield said in the complaint.
The day that the man made the threats, June 4, police were called to the Schoolhouse Apartments, the complaint said. Police contacted New Canaan Emergency Medical Services and the man was transported to Norwalk Hospital for evaluation, it said.
Located at 156 South Ave., across the parking lot from the New Canaan Police Department, the Schoolhouse Apartments include studio and one-bedroom units, according to the New Canaan Housing Authority website. According to PublicHousing.com, residents of the complex typically pay 30% of their gross income for rent. The tenant who made the threats had moved in May 17, 2021 on a year-long lease at a rent of $1,211 per month, of which he paid $309 monthly, Hirschfield said in the complaint. On April 1 of this year, the total monthly rent went up to $1,550 per month with the defendant paying $364 monthly, according to the complaint.
The 2.9 acre property at 156 South Ave. and three-story Schoolhouse Apartments—built in 1931 as New Canaan’s middle school—is owned by the town, tax records show. The principals of the operating organization Schoolhouse Apartments Inc. include several New Canaan residents, according to Connecticut Secretary of the State records, such as Hans Dijs, treasurer.
Schoolhouse Apartments served him with eviction papers on June 8, and as of June 14 he remained in possession of the unit, the complaint said.
The defendant is listed as non-appearing in Connecticut Judicial Branch records.
On June 29, Hirschfield filed a Motion for Default for Failure to Appear and Judgment for Possession.
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