News Photo by Crystal Nelson Lincoln Manor resident Ron Williams on Wednesday looks at documents sent to him by Legal Services of Northern Michigan, a law firm he’s trying to recruit, in his Lincoln Manor apartment in Lincoln.

ALPENA — A Lincoln Manor resident who spoke to The News in August about a bed bug problem in the apartments has received a formal eviction notice from the apartment’s management company, Prime Properties Management.

Residents have complained of bed bugs for months and the infestation has prevented the Alcona County Commission on Aging from providing some services to residents there. Commission on Aging staff have accused the apartment managers of being unresponsive, though the agency has since been in contact with the managers.

In August, Ron Williams told The News he once had bed bugs in his apartment, but hadn’t seen them return since his apartment was sprayed for them. A photo of Williams accompanying the story showed a pack of cigarettes on a side table next to his recliner. Williams, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is on oxygen.

The next day, facility management issued Williams a notice that he “willfully or negligently caused a serious and continuing health hazard to exist” because he was “found to be on oxygen/have oxygen in his unit and smoking.”

The notification asked him to either remove the health hazard or move out.

Williams has since received a summons from Sandra Wright, the attorney representing Prime Properties Management. The summons says Williams is on oxygen and insists on smoking in his unit, placing the entire apartment building in serious danger of fire.

“Despite repeated warnings and the 7-Day Notice concerning this health and safety hazard, he persists on smoking and has threatened fellow tenants for turning him in for doing so,” the court summons states.

Williams said he does not smoke in the apartment and says he is being retaliated against for talking to the press.

Williams said he does not have anywhere else to go.

“It’s just so depressing,” he said. “If they evict me, I can’t take my oxygen with me, because I’ll be out on the streets.”

Barb Corona, chief operations officer with Prime Properties, refused to comment on tenant issues.

When asked for an update on the apartment’s bed bug issue, Corona said a letter to the editor had been sent to The News, which could be used for comments. The News has not received a letter from Corona or Prime Properties Management as of Wednesday evening.

Corona told Lincoln Manor tenants in an Oct. 6 letter a bug-sniffing dog had been called in on Sept. 29 and that “overall, we received a favorable report on each unit.”

But Lenny Avery, executive director of the Alcona County Commission on Aging, told the Alcona County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 7 that the apartments are not bed bug-free.

He told the board agency staff broke their own policy against serving residents in infected homes so one senior could get a bath. That senior requires a bath three times a week, but they hadn’t been able to give her a bath in two months.

Avery said agency staff saw about six bed bugs in that resident’s apartment in the hour and 25 minutes they spent with her.

The agency, along with five residents of Lincoln Manor, have filed a formal complaint with the state Attorney General’s Office regarding the bed bug infestation that exists in a portion of the apartments

Avery said on Wednesday they are still waiting to hear from the Attorney General’s Office, but will continue to advocate for the residents at Lincoln Manor.

“The senior center is still continuing to advocate for the residents of Lincoln Manor,” Avery said “It is still our position that Lincoln Manor should not try to evict residents because of their outspoken nature of the bed bug problem at the facility.”