I-TEAM: Overdoses, even death all linked to one Toledo home
TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - It’s become a house of horror for so many families. A place where at least 6 people have overdosed. One even died.
That family wants something to be done to this Toledo home and the person who owns it before another family is next.
Lots of people drive past the home on West Bancroft street in Toledo and never give it a second look. The family you’re about to meet will never look at that place the same. 41-year-old TJ Schmitt fought addiction for almost a quarter of his life. A life he lost on July 17th 2022.
“He was a drug addict. But he was in recovery at the time,” said Cindee Weaver, TJ’s mother. “We lived it for 10 years.”
Weaver wants to make sure his children and family will never forget her son. She’ll also never forget the home where her son died. Found dead of an overdose in the garage at the home on West Bancroft Street near Holland Sylvania.
In the last week or so, she saw that house on television.
“Fury, I’m just so mad. I’m just so mad,” said Weaver.
Weaver saw it in a 13 Action News I-TEAM report. On January 2nd police and paramedics responded to a 31-year-old who appeared to be overdosing. After being declared dead on scene, the coroner responded and found her alive and breathing about an hour and half later.
EMS eventually took her to Flower Hospital, her condition is not known. Overdoses happen far too often there.
The I-Team found 4 additional documented overdoses since 2021 according to Toledo Police reports. That’s a total of 6.
On April 17th 2021 a woman was found by her boyfriend. Her breathing described as shallow. Firefighters use Narcan and revive her.
Two months later, June 6th, a man found lying in the front room unconscious. A person in the home plus firefighters use narcan before taking him to a hospital.
December 9th 2021 a man calls 911 saying his girlfriend has overdosed in the house. She too got narcan and regained consciousness. She admits in the police report to using cocaine before arriving at the home.
June 2022 firefighters use 4 doses of narcan to revive a man after his girlfriend performed CPR.
Police know this place is a problem. In that incident where the woman was declared dead but really wasn’t, one of the first responding officers told EMS crews what happens there.
“This is kind of a flop house. He has quite a few people here that actively overdose like this.”
It’s no secret who owns the place. His name is Jeffrey Lederman. He’s listed all over those police reports on those overdose call. In fact he even called 911 for help in January.
The I-TEAM paid him a visit. He asked for a business card but refused to answer our questions to explain why all these overdoses happen in his home.
“In my opinion, these people are serial killers,” said Weaver.
In addition to the numerous drug issues, the city of Toledo filed charges in housing court in 2022 declaring his Bancroft Street building a nuisance. Lederman didn’t show for court and a bench warrant was issued in 2023.
Police did interact with him on the January 2nd incident in fact he let them in the house according to the police body camera.
“It’s a drug house, those druggies, they know where to go to get it, they know where to go to do it. They know,” said Weaver. “I’d like to see that house bull dozed. I really would.”
“Instead of letting them do their drugs there, sort of give them information to go get help somewhere instead of letting people die at your house,” said Weaver.
The I-TEAM asked Toledo Police about seeing the home owners while having that warrant. We’re told those crews didn’t run him and if he was, that kind of warrant is one where he would have only been issued on a summons on a non-violent bench warrant.
While at that home, we met a man who says he’s the husband of the woman pronounced dead but later found alive. He said she’s recovering but would not elaborate any more on what that means or if she’s still in the hospital.
Responders declare woman dead who was still alive
Copyright 2024 WTVG. All rights reserved.
