Phoenix neighbors troubled by drug use outside detox center

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Looking out the living room window at Monte and Dorri Thyden’s central Phoenix home, they’ve seen people smoking drugs, urinating, and just acting erratically. Other residents in their Loma Linda neighborhood are also fed up with it, saying it happens in broad daylight. They started a website named crossroadsdetoxissues.com and have numerous documented incidents on video.

“It’s pretty constant, and we don’t know what we’re going to get,” said neighbor Monte Thyden. Thyden and his wife Dorri live right behind the Crossroads Detox facility at 20th Street and Osborn Road. And their issue is not just about what the visitors to the facility are doing outside, it’s also about what they leave behind. Thyden has found burnt foil, pipes, and pills right in the path of where kids walk to school. “I walked around the side of the house and saw 20-30 of these little purple pills. When the police were notified, they were hesitant to even take it. They were like we don’t know what this is,” he said.

Crossroads opened the location in 2020. Neighbors said they thought it was going to be an office building for the treatment provider. But then, the organization obtained a special use permit to keep patients overnight. That’s when the problems started. The Thydens have a doorbell video of a woman opening their door to come into their home. “I’m like, ‘Do you need something?’ What is the issue,” Dorri Thyden said. “Why did you try to come in our house? She said I just want to use the phone. I’m trying to check into Crossroads.”

Crossroads recently put up surveillance cameras in the area where the Thydens recorded the most activity. But the Thydens said the new cameras push users into the neighborhood or the alley to avoid being seen. “The security guard is limited to their property, so if they go up to the alley or if they go off down the street, if they’re in a car smoking up in the neighborhood, it’s not their problem,” Dorri said. Phoenix attorney Tim La Sota is representing the neighbors. He said he’s exploring all legal options.

“What they’ve (Crossroads) done is not nearly enough,” La Sota said. “We could potentially file a nuisance suit. I think those are starting to be taken more seriously as neighbors have had some success.” In a statement - Crossroads Executive Director Chris Riley wrote:

A spokesperson for the City of Phoenix also sent us a statement reading that they are “actively engaging with community members to identify issues and develop solutions to address the activity.” Meanwhile – the Thydens and their neighbors want more than another meeting with Crossroads and the city. They want a solution.

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