WILLOWICK, Ohio - The parking deck of the East Tower of The Shoregate Towers apartments collapsed Wednesday night.
As the investigation into why the garage collapsed continues, the Willowick mayor sheds light on prior issues with the property.The next day, Mayor Michael Vanni released a statement on the property owners and the collapse. The City will confirm that it has criminally prosecuted the property owners for building code violations in the Willoughby Municipal Court and has worked with several local agencies, including the Lake County Health Department, the Lake County Building Department, Lake Metropolitan Housing Authority and the Fair Housing Resource Center of Lake County to seek compliance for violations on the property.
“It was just very scary to see; I mean, we didn’t know what was going to happen; we didn’t know if we were in danger. We’re all the way up here on the seventh floor in a high rise, and I was just... I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” said Melissa Merritt.