The House of Skulls & The Grass Police: How Ephrata Missed a House of Horrors While Measuring Your Lawn

The Illusion Shatters

On January 6, 2026, the comfortable illusion of "Public Safety" in the Borough of Ephrata, Pennsylvania, was shattered.

For years, we have been told that our safety depends on the relentless enforcement of the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC). We are told that we need Associated Building Inspections (ABI) to patrol our streets with rulers and clipboards, ensuring our grass doesn't grow an inch too high and our sidewalks don't have a single hairline crack. We are fined, harassed, and threatened with liens over "quality of life" violations that amount to nothing more than aesthetic preferences.

But on that Tuesday morning, the call to save the day didn't come from our local Code Enforcement officers. It didn't originate from the Ephrata Police Department's routine patrols. It came from Delaware County.

Detectives from over an hour away drove into our jurisdiction to raid the property at 100 Washington Avenue—now known as the "Gerlach Property"—and uncovered a house of horrors. While ABI officers were effectively policing the Borough for dandelions and political yard signs, a home in the heart of our community was rotting from the inside out.

Reports indicate the discovery of human remains and a site of biological decay so severe it defies explanation.

The Blindness of Authority

This begs a terrifying question: How did they miss it?

This was not a hidden crime. Neighbors have reported disturbing indicators dating back to the Autumn months—persistent insect activity around windows that should have triggered an immediate red flag for any trained inspector. Furthermore, the distinct odor of biological decay—a scent that lingers even through the winter chill—was reportedly detectable from the public right-of-way.

These are what the law calls patent, obvious hazards.

Yet, during the months of October, November, and December 2025—while ABI was submitting invoices and cashing taxpayer checks—officers like Randy Maurer and Brian Ziegler were presumably patrolling these very streets. This is not just incompetence. This is the definition of Selective Enforcement.

Today, I am demanding to know why the Borough of Ephrata can spot a blade of grass from fifty feet away but cannot identify a tomb right under their nose.

Selective Enforcement: The Bully’s Playbook

In legal terms, "Selective Enforcement" occurs when government officials choose to enforce the law against some people while ignoring it for others, often based on malicious or arbitrary reasons. In Ephrata, it feels less like a legal theory and more like a business model.

We know exactly what ABI prioritizes. They prioritize the low-hanging fruit.

• They prioritize the homeowner who works two jobs and lets their grass grow to seven inches.
• They prioritize the senior citizen with a crack in their sidewalk.

They relentlessly prosecute these minor aesthetic issues under IPMC § 302.4 (Weeds) and § 302.3 (Sidewalks). Why? Because these people are easy targets. They pay the fines. They are intimidated by the threat of a lien.

But while ABI was busy measuring grass, they were steadfastly ignoring IPMC § 302.1 (Sanitary Conditions) and § 309.1 (Pest Elimination) at 100 Washington Avenue. This represents a grotesque disparity. How does a Code Enforcement officer justify writing a ticket for a weed while standing in the shadow of a house that reeks of death?

Constructive Notice: You Should Have Known

The Borough will likely try to plead ignorance. They will say, "We didn't know what was inside." Legally, that excuse is garbage.

There is a concept in liability law called "Constructive Notice." It means that a municipality is liable for a hazard if the defect was so obvious and existed for such a length of time that they should have known about it in the exercise of reasonable care.

If ABI officers Randy Maurer or Brian Ziegler drove down Washington Avenue in late 2025 to issue citations for other properties—records which I am currently seeking via the Right-to-Know Law—they had Constructive Notice.

This leaves us with only two terrifying possibilities:

1. Gross Incompetence: They saw the indicators, smelled the decay, and genuinely didn't recognize a biohazard because they are untrained and unqualified.
2. Willful Negligence: They saw it, but decided it was "too much paperwork" or "not their problem," preferring to stick to the easy revenue of grass citations.

I have filed a formal request for their "drive-by" logs, GPS data, and field notes. We are about to find out which it is.

The Silence Ends Today

For too long, the Ephrata Borough Leadership has operated on the assumption that if they ignore a problem, it will go away. They assume that if they hide behind their Solicitor, Isaac Wakefield, and their insurance company, the DVPLT, the citizens will eventually get tired and give up.

They are wrong.

To the Citizens of Ephrata: The era of blind compliance is over. It is time to turn the cameras around.

• Document Everything: If you see an ABI vehicle (marked or unmarked) idling in your neighborhood, take a photo. Note the time and location.
• Report the Hypocrisy: If you see a violation on Borough property—high grass, cracked concrete, peeling paint—do not stay silent.
• Send It to Me: We are building a database of selective enforcement. If they want to use the code as a weapon, we will use it as a shield.

To the Borough Leadership:

To Manager Karen Gerhart: You are not new to this machinery. Before you were appointed Manager in July 2025, you served as the Borough Secretary—the keeper of the records. You handled the paper trails. You knew the system from the inside long before you took the helm. You cannot claim ignorance of how the code enforcement game is played; you helped file the paperwork.

To Chief Christopher McKim: You are not a new recruit finding your footing. You have worn the Ephrata badge since 1996. You have spent 30 years learning every alley, every shortcut, and every problem property in this Borough. For detectives from Delaware County to drive into your town and find a "House of Horrors" that your department missed is not just an oversight. It is a humiliating failure of the institution you spent three decades building. You have the eyes of a veteran, yet you were blind to the tomb on Washington Avenue.

To Mayor Thomas Reinhold: You cannot hide behind the "I'm new to the office" excuse. You were Council President before you were Mayor. You oversaw the contracts. You authorized the payments. The "House of Skulls" happened on your watch, both in the Council Chamber and now in the Mayor's office. You presided over the very meetings where ABI's invoices were stamped "Approved" while they drove past a rotting corpse.

I have formally served the Borough with a Right-to-Know Law request demanding the inspection logs for this property. I have put your insurance carriers on notice. I have alerted federal oversight bodies to the possibility of gross negligence.

If you attempt to bury these records, you are not protecting the Borough; you are becoming accomplices to the cover-up.

The days of measuring grass while the house burns down are over. We are watching.

Published: January 13, 2026

🚨 Continue the Investigation

The Borough missed the signs. The neighbors saw the flies. But what happens now? The legal battle begins.

⬅️ Previous: Chapter 10: The Facebook Marketplace of Horrors

➡️ Next: Chapter 12:

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COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARK NOTICE © 2026 Sunshine Firecracker / Dr. Jennifer Gayle Sappington, J.D. All Rights Reserved. "Sunshine Firecracker" and the Sunshine Firecracker logo are trademarks of Jennifer Gayle Sappington. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or modification of this work without the express written consent of the author is strictly prohibited.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER The content provided in this article is for informational, educational, and advocacy purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this article or interacting with the author does not create an attorney-client relationship. While the author holds a Juris Doctor (J.D.), this publication is written in the capacity of an investigative journalist and political commentator. If you require legal assistance regarding property codes or civil rights, please consult a qualified attorney in your jurisdiction.

EDITORIAL NOTE This article constitutes political commentary and investigative journalism regarding public officials and matters of significant public concern. All allegations regarding municipal negligence and selective enforcement are based on the author's investigation, public records, and observations. Statements regarding the "House of Skulls" (100 Washington Avenue) are based on reports available as of January 12, 2026. The author reserves the right to update this article as new information becomes available via Right-to-Know Law requests.