Owner Of Home Destroyed By Greenwood Village Police To Sue City
By Jeff Todd
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. (CBS4) - Six months after law enforcement destroyed his house, Leo Lech gave CBS4 a tour and update on his quest to get another house rebuilt on the same lot.
"I think (the city) would rather see us out of here. I think that would be their preference obviously," said Lech.
In June a shoplifting suspect led police on a chase that ended at Lech's house. The man, Robert Seacat, fired a shot at a responding officer. A 19-hour standoff ensued in which the home was destroyed.
Greenwood Village police defended their use of force.
"The foundation had to be torn out," said Lech as he showed CBS4's Jeff Todd the now vacant lot. "The plans for the new house have been submitted. They've been rejected for a number of reasons."
Lech says the town is now saying a holding pond must be built in the backyard for drainage issues. He suspects the town is making him jump over extra hurdles because he's been outspoken about the police department and the incident. His insurance company is only helping enough to rebuild a comparable home to the one that existed before.
"Right now I'm about $200,000 out from the kind of house that needs to be built here to fit modern standards," Lech said.
He plans to recoup some of the money from the town through a lawsuit.
"I hope the outcome is somebody fesses up and says, 'You know what? We're going to rebuild this house for you. We're going to rebuild your home, we're going to pay you back for all the costs.'"
Jeff Todd joined the CBS4 team in 2011 covering the Western Slope in the Mountain Newsroom. Since 2015 he's been working across the Front Range in the Denver Headquarters. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Jeff.