Bedbug Infestation Found In Scott Township Apartment Complex

SCOTT TOWNSHIP, Pa.,None — Residents of a Scott Township apartment complex said they have been forced to clear out of their homes after bedbugs were found in the building.

"I've been scratching since I got my notice," said resident Wayne Morrison.

Morrison called Channel 11 News after getting a letter from management officials at the Carriage Park apartments. The letter said that a neighbor has a bedbug infestation and that his unit would have to be sprayed for the bugs four times in the next month.

Morrison said each time exterminators come to spray, it's a huge inconvenience for him.

"The closets need to be emptied. All furniture needs to be moved three feet from the wall. My sister is 60 years old. If I wasn't here she'd probably have to hire someone to do that," Morrison said. "This is all at your expense. If you have a child under one years old, you cannot have the child in the apartment for 24 hours."

When Morrison moved in the apartment complex last November, he said he was unaware of the infestation.

"They know this is an issue but they don't warn you," Morrison said.

Channel 11 News exposed the problem last year, and found websites discussing the problem at Carriage Park Apartment.

Resident Teila Dourado said things have gotten so bad that she has bites to prove it.

"I started scratching my arms and I seen them on my couch. I've been bitten really bad," Dourado said.

Dourado said she and another woman care for a tenant with Lou Gehrig's disease.

"I was doing her laundry and came across one attached to her underwear," said Dourado.

Dourado said most of the residents are foreign and don't know how to complain about the issue.

"Most people that come here don't know the customs, don't know the ways, and don't know who to complain to. I do and I'm going to complain as much as I can," Dourado said.

Channel 11's Jodine Costanzo tried contacting management, who did not return her phone calls.

An Allegheny County Health Department spokesman said they haven't had any complaints about Carriage Park since last fall but they're encouraging tenants to speak up if they need help.

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