By Katherine Johnson
Little Rock, AR (KLRT/CNN) - A demolition contractor was ordered to tear down a house, but took down the wrong one by mistake.
They were hired by the city of Little Rock.
Now, the owner of the house, which is just a pile of rubble, wants someone to pay for the mistake.
Dozens of houses in Little Rock's Harrison Street area are condemned and slated for demolition. Dozens of houses, but not Jessie Vernon's.
"It was a solid structure. You know. It was something that I could work with. But now it's nothing I can work with. There's nothing I can do with it," said Vernon.
Youngblood Demolition and Excavating won the city's bid to take down the condemned house at 2804 Harrison Street. But before the city's code enforcement officer arrived, the contractor took down Vernon's property, right next door.
"The city did not erroneously give a wrong address. The city did not instruct them to demolish this wrong property. The liability is going to fall with that demolition contractor," said Housing Director Andrew Bernard.
Over the phone contractor Grant Youngblood acknowledged his mistake, saying "I messed up and I wasn't thorough enough."
Youngblood also stands by his decision, adding "people keep calling it a house, but the correct terminology is crack house."
But not to Jessie Vernon.
"See, I've got to build a new house here," he said. "I should have never had to go through it."
The contractor says he offered Vernon $2,000 but Vernon wants $50,000.
As for the condemned house next door, it's still standing.
KLRT/CNN