Owner of collapsed building says he's no slumlord

WASHINGTON, Pa. — The man facing a lot of questions over several of his properties in Washington County, including one that collapsed, appeared in court Tuesday.

Mark Russo owns the building on North Main Street in Washington that collapsed two weeks ago, trapping a woman for more than nine hours.

Just days later, Channel 11 told you when code enforcement officers evicted tenants living in two of his other houses, deeming both buildings "unfit."

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Wednesday will mark two weeks since the building collapsed.

The financial burden of it all continues to grow; the bill to take down what is left standing could be more than $500,000.

On Tuesday, the landlord, who has avoided our cameras and avoided coming to any of his properties that were shut down, faced a judge.

Russo had nothing to say to our cameras, except for when Channel 11’s Cara Sapida asked him if he is a slumlord and he responded, “No.”

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City officials are now holding him accountable for hazards in several Washington apartment buildings.

11 Investigates has found at least eight properties in Washington County that list Russo as the owner.

Code enforcement officers declared two of those buildings "unfit for humans," saying it's just not safe for the families to stay.

“It saddens me the rent being charged for uninhabitable conditions. It's beyond me,” said Scott Putnam, mayor of Washington.

While rescue workers were able to save the trapped woman, a difficult demolition is still in the works:

“We are hearing demo costs as much as $500,000, (the) city is also on the hook for overtime for police, fire, code, additional inspections,” Putnam said. “We are going to do everything we can to make sure taxpayers aren't burdened by this event, to the extent he has assets, insurance, we are going to pursue it vigorously.”

In court Tuesday, both sides agreed to an extension so that insurance companies and engineers can do more investigations, saying time is limited and critical.

Once the building completely comes down, all evidence will be lost.

Cox Media Group