TOLEDO – This past Monday marked the beginning of the end for the Riverside Mobile Home Park, notorious for its poor conditions and proximity to downtown Toledo (18 City Park Avenue off the Anthony Wayne Trail).
Somewhere around 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 17, Toledo Edison came with trucks to disconnect power to the park, but were waylaid by Charles “Chuck” Parker, 66, Susan Luttrell, 70, and their respective households who were still present on the park’s grounds.
In the days leading up to their removal from Riverside, the Toledo Free Press spoke with Luttrell and Parker, both of whom maintained they were trying to get out of the park by the deadline of Monday, Nov. 17.
Sunday, the day before, Luttrell said she attempted to rent a UHaul, but said she ran into a problem doing so because she didn’t own a smart phone. She resolved to try again on the Monday morning, but was met with Toledo Police and Toledo city officials before getting back to the rental service.
“They signed a contract saying that they would be off the property by the 16th of November, which was yesterday,” said Jim Molnar, the director of building and code compliance with the City of Toledo, who has been in contact with the two households over the course of months. “We were out here to confirm that that happened, and it didn’t. So we’re trying to figure out what the next step is.”
Molnar addressed press from local media outlets after Toledo Police moved through the entire park and spoke with both households.
Two officers investigated a mobile home where they had observed squatters in the days leading up to the anticipated demolition. No one was in the run down home, but a padlock had been added to the door and was locked with no one inside.
When police and city officials converged on Parker’s part of the mobile home park, he was gone, and Molnar spoke outside of his wife’s mobile home with his son Kendall Parker, 35.
A number of minutes later, Chuck quickly rolled up in his red Ford F-150 into the midst of the half-dozen or so city officials, got out of the vehicle and placed himself in-between his family and the city as the main point of contact.
Cracking jokes and making light of a serious situation, the elder Parker tried to explain his attempts of getting out of the park to Molnar, who reminded Parker of the contract he signed for the grants offered by the Lucas County Land Bank. These grants released money contingent on Parker’s household vacating the premises of Riverside.
“I’m gonna’ go and let them know that they need to have everything that they want to keep and themselves off the property by five o’clock today,” Molnar told press, but seemed unsure of the repercussions.
Last week, the City of Toledo had mentioned to the former residents of Riverside, that demolition work might begin, or at least equipment would begin getting moved into place starting Monday.
Molnar wouldn’t speak of specifics of the demolition. “Urban Beautification is a different division that does the demolition work, or that handles the contract for the demolition work, so I don’t want to try to answer on their behalf,” he said.
Molnar identified Deputy Mayor of Toledo Abby Arnold as his supervisor for this case, and he admitted he wasn’t sure of the next steps if the residents weren’t out by 5 p.m. by Monday evening.
“This has never been done in the City of Toledo, as far as I know,” Molnar said.
What to do with the owner?
The complication lies with remedying the property for “human habitation.”
Back in May of 2025, the city identified Riverside as “unfit for human habitation,” a designation that says the property is actively a danger to anyone who lives there. And while this generally would result in fixing up the park, at this point the park is cheaper to demolish. Additionally, the owner owes Lucas County thousands in back taxes, and owes the City of Toledo tens of thousands in back property taxes and hundreds of thousands in back utility bills.
Currently, the owner of the park RIVER SIDE MOBILE HOME ESTATES LLC, which has gone through a fair share of owners since its creation in 2016 was last registered in Indiana in 2024 with Ernie Garcia.
Ohio records from 2023 name the owner as David Garcia, which coincide with Indiana records. Colloquially, Parker said he has had contact with Ernie Garcia as the owner of the park, and his wife Marissa Garcia, along with their son Sergio Garcia.
Parker said Ernie’s family lives out of Illinois, and the phone numbers Parker is in contact with for Ernie and Marissa have Chicago, Illinois area codes. But the number Parker identified with Sergio has a northwest Indiana area code.
Records from Lucas County Common Pleas court place Ernie Garcia out of Indiana, and acting on behalf of River Side Mobile Home Estates against the City of Toledo to get a restraining order against the city.
“On October 20, 2025, the Court denied Garcia’s motion for a temporary restraining order,” against the city, the county records read. A corporation “must be represented by an attorney and cannot be represented in court by a non-attorney officer,” the court ruled.
In September, $200,000 was approved for the demolition of the property.
Further attempts at restitution for the back taxes and bills have not been mentioned by city or county officials.
Down to the wire
Later in the day, Luttrell and Parker both had UHaul moving trucks with a fair amount packed into them, and they had extra help from friends.
Molnar stood with police at the front of the park, but dressed down from earlier in the day. He said this was because he didn’t want to impose his position on the vacating residents.
Friends of Luttrell objected to speaking with the press, but Luttrell said, “I’m leaving stuff– I’m leaving a hell of a mess for them,” and talked with her friends about looking for family pictures she couldn’t find.
She also asked Molnar if she could come back for her cats on Tuesday, which had all run off with the extra added excitement of the day. In response, Molnar couldn’t guarantee her entry to the park in the morning.
It wasn’t much past 5 p.m. when Luttrell was set to leave without her cats, but the Parker household was running behind.
After 5 p.m., Toledo Police and Molnar approached the Parker’s who were packing three vehicles: a Ford F-150 with a trailer attached, a Dodge Dakota filled to the brim with items strapped to the roof, and a UHaul truck.
There were a few new faces loading up the trucks, but as the sun waned, the energy of the Parker household lessened as well.
Angel Smith, 31, Kendall’s significant other, expressed her fatigue, while the two Parkers continued to work quickly.
The two police officers on duty watched over the moving operation, but Molnar tried to help the Parker household. He carried a few trips worth of items from the mobile home to the trucks.
The packing night climaxed with Carol Kelly, 59, Parker’s wife, who has trouble walking, being helped into the UHaul. With a few other additions, the trucks were packed and on their way.
The couple’s pit bulls rode with Chuck, and the family left to a monthly billed hotel around 6 p.m.
