The glory days of the Valley View Mall are long gone and in its place at Preston and 635 is a pile of rubble; reminders of what the mall used to be.
The site is owned by father and son Jeff and Scott Beck of Beck Ventures, and the city of Dallas just slapped the owners with a "habitual criminal property" designation, meaning Beck Ventures knows the property is chock-full of crime, and they are doing nothing to stop it.
The designation by the city of Dallas, which was signed off on by Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia on Wednesday, lists five cases of criminal trespass and five of criminal mischief at the 30-acre site.
In one of those incidents, an unlawful firearm was involved, and several also included drug use.
Six of the 10 incidents occurred in the last year, one more than what's required to trigger the habitual criminal property designation.
Per the Dallas Morning News, Garcia's has demanded at least two security guards be hired to continuously patrol the property anytime contractors aren't at work there, and requires a perimeter fence around the remaining structure, bright exterior lighting, and security cameras installed and monitored by an onsite team.
Less than two weeks ago, the mall caught fire, and though an investigation could not determine what caused the blaze, police did find evidence of homeless folks living in the decaying AMC theater of the mall, including makeshift beds, remnants of warming and cooking fires, and cigarette butts tossed throughout the structure.
If Beck Ventures can't prove they are in compliance, they'll have to pay a monthly fee of $949, and post a placard notifying the public their site is a habitual criminal property.
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