Bell Gardens

The landlord of a seven-unit apartment house in Bell Gardens has pleaded guilty in Huntington Park Municipal Court to 10 misdemeanor counts of health and building code violations in the latest crackdown on substandard housing conditions in the city.

City Atty. Cary Reisman said Dean Nelson, who originally was charged with 30 counts in July, was sentenced to three years probation, 150 hours of community service, fined $2,550 and ordered to remedy all remaining code violations on the apartments at 5852-58 E. Gage Ave. within 60 days.

The violations ranged from broken windows and exterior doors to maintaining premises strewn with trash and debris. He also was charged with refusing to comply with the city’s Rehabilitation Appeals Board, which ordered him to repair ventilation screening, install a paved parking area and ventilate a water heater compartment.

Reisman said if Nelson fails to comply with the terms of his probation, he could go to jail for five years--six months for each count. A provision of the probation states that he must maintain the property in a violation-free state for three years.