Ringgold Homes Slip-Siding Away

It wasn't an earthquake that hit Catoosa County, but many property owners say their land now looks like one came through. The homes in the Chestnut Ridge Subdivision were built by developer Jerry Hawthorne and his company, J-R's Land Sales. They're on a hill, just above Alabama Highway in Ringgold. We first visited the subdivision when the bank on the side of the hill gave way back in the early spring, and our NewsChannel 9 investigation has now uncovered problems so severe, some folks cannot live there anymore..

Back in March in the Chestnut Ridge Subdivision, we found something straight out of an earthquake movie. Gaps where the ground has separated, exposing cracks in the earth.. The bank had slid down the hill. Eventually, the sliding earth separated foundations from homes, porches and swimming pools.. Carl Bates, who lived in the neighborhood then, told us "the homes are falling, they're settling. People are having to move out because they're unsafe."

Six months later, we went back to see what had been done to help the homeowners.. What our investigation discovered, were at least five empty homes on top of the hill where the slide occurred. Neighbors across the street tell us, developer Jerry Hawthorne has bought out those homeowners, and moved them to other houses. We also discovered construction work underway to stabilize the bank and possibly prevent more sliding. Back in March, Hawthorne locked his office door and refused to speak to us.. We spoke to him yesterday, and we asked him if this situation had ever happened to him as a developer before. His answer was a terse "I can't comment.. I have to defer comment at this time."

In a press release sent to us by his attorney, Hawthorne says, other contractors did most of the work. He is repairing the slope, and several homeowners affected by the slope failure have had their homes purchased by an independent company.. But now, we've uncovered problems with houses across the street from the ones along the sliding bank.. For example, Michelle Tallent says, when the bank slipped, HER cabinets separated from the wall. Moisture began collecting in her crawlspace. "And then, a huge crack formed, that shines light from inside out," she told us. "There are other cracks in the foundation, but this one in particular is the worst."

In that same press release, Hawthorne says, through his attorney, his inspectors did not find damage to those homes that was caused by the slope failure, therefore, he says, "we would not be able to accept their claims" for any damage to their homes.. In the meantime, our cameras see "for sale" sign after "for sale" sign along Chestnut Ridge Road.. Some residents are bailing out of what they call, a nightmare situation.. "We're sitting here stuck," says resident Becky White, "we've been trying to sell out house. The house value has been brought down.. it's just horrible."

Hawthorne and his J-R Land Company are paying to have the sliding bank repaired.. According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the city of Ringgold is making sure the repair is being done correctly.. The city declined to talk to us about it, but we have requested copies of the repair permit under the Freedom of Information Act.. Our investigation of this situation continues, as soon as we learn new information..