‘Worst area’ of Petaluma, Lynch Creek Trail gets renewed attention

Jude Morris was outside in the common area of her Petaluma senior apartment complex, Vintage Chateau, when she saw a scruffy young man undressing near the outdoor shower by the pool. A former high school teacher, Morris, 70, confronted the man standing in his boxer shorts.

“I told him, ‘You’re going to give the old ladies a heart attack if you take off those boxer shorts,’” she recalled saying, before getting the manager, who chased the man off the property.

The incident was one of many unsavory interactions Morris has had due to living next door to Lynch Creek Trail, she said. The bike and pedestrian path that links east and west Petaluma has recently become a magnet for homelessness, drug deals, fights and graffiti, according to neighbors and police. Vintage Chateau, near the spot where the Lynch Creek Trail passes under Highway 101, is at the center of the unseemly activity.

Morris said the nearly naked man had hopped the fence from Lynch Creek. She said she has also seen a group of homeless people in the complex’s hot tub, belligerent people blocking the trail and an increase in trash along the creek. Morris and others have banded together to form the Friends of Lynch Creek to cleanup the area and advocate for more city resources for the effort.

“This is not something we can put up with,” she said. “We really do have a problem. I’m running into people who are obviously high, some lying across the trail. One person, I thought he was dead until he moved. It’s getting really iffy, and it’s really dirty.”

The Petaluma Police Department has taken notice and has stepped up patrols along Lynch Creek Trail, according to Lt. Tim Lyons. The two-officer Homeless Outreach Service Team, or HOST, has started walking the trail and patrolling with an all-terrain vehicle each day, he said, talking to residents and noting any problems.

Since May, police have participated in several meetings with residents to listen to their concerns and update the community on recent activity and arrests along Lynch Creek Trail.

“This is probably the worst area of town right now,” said Ryan DeBaeke, one of the HOST officers. “It’s going to take constant attention. We’ve made it a point to patrol it every single day.”

Police made a high profile arrest of two suspected drug dealers in May. Responding to a tip from neighbors, officers contacted a group on the trail near the underpass. During their investigation they arrested Daniel Lynch, 44, and Wendy Laino, 40, for possession of more than 21 ounces of methamphetamine for sale, according to police.

DeBaeke said police have made at least 20 arrests on the trail in the past two months. He said the problem has become more noticeable in the warm summer months as more homeless people spend time outside of shelters and more people use the trail, including students on summer break.

Jeremiah Perry, who said he is homeless and living along the Lynch Creek Trail, said he understands the increased police presence. On a recent afternoon, he walked the trail in shorts, flip flops and a sweatshirt partially draped over his neck.

He said he tries to keep his area clean and has picked up several hypodermic needles and pipes.

“We do have a lot of conflict with law enforcement, but there is a reason they are here,” Perry said. “There are homeless people that don’t care, that blow it up for the rest of us.”

The recent effort to improve the Lynch Creek Trail started on the social media website Nextdoor. Bernie Album, a Petaluma resident who frequents the trail, said he noticed neighbors complaining about safety issues on the trail, and decided to take the discussion offline.

After the first meeting at Starbucks, which two police officers attended, the Friends of Lynch Creek Trail was born. Album said he was pleased to see the group’s advocacy efforts paying off in the past few months as safety has improved along the trail.

This week, the group broke into committees, with some interested in picking up trash and others interested in serving as lookouts for illegal activity. They will address the Pedestrian and Bicycle Committee Aug. 1.

Album said he will continue to press the city for more resources, asking for lights and pavement to replace the cracking asphalt on the trail just west of the freeway.

“I am happy people were willing to step forward and do what is necessary,” he said. “My particular interest is to see it improved.”

(Matt.Brown@arguscourier.com.)