JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A group of motels meant for extended stays is attracting crime instead, according to 911 call records. Investigators have responded to Youngerman Circle in the Argyle Forest neighborhood countless times, over the last few years.
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Action News Jax told you Thursday night when police responded to a missing child report near that area. Last week, a man was shot and killed near one of the motels on Youngerman Circle East.
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“He was a loving person. He was a funny person. He was my adventure child,” Carlette Jefferson said. Her 43-year-old son, Ulysses Lynch, was shot and later died at the hospital.
She’s now in the process of planning his funeral, and she said she wants justice. Lynch’s killer is still out there, and many other unsolved crimes have happened in the same area.
Action News Jax obtained records from the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD) that show the calls for service for Youngerman Circle from January 2021 to present day.
Here is the breakdown:
2021
- 60 overdoses
- 34 assaults
- 4 gunshot calls
- 3 stabbings
- 3 sexual assaults
2022
- 70 overdoses
- 38 assaults
- 8 gunshot calls
- 2 stabbings
- 1 sexual assault
2023 (Jan-Feb 15)
- 6 overdoses
- 3 assaults
Jefferson and neighbors have called for change in that area.
Former Councilman Reggie Gaffney created the Jacksonville Public Nuisance Abatement Board when he was in office.
“It allows city councilmen to take action when we notice a property, like past—Gold Rush—or what’s happening on Youngerman Town Circle, when they become a nuisance to the city of Jacksonville, it’s time to close it down,” Gaffney said.
He said shutting down a nuisance property starts with a citizens complaint. After several complaints, it will go before the board and the city will meet with the Sheriff’s Department. Then, they’ll give the property owner a time period to get the property in order.
“If it’s continued to happen -- the killing, the stealing, the robberies -- continue to happen and the crime continue to happen, that’s when the city can step in,” Gaffney said.
We reached out to District 14 City Councilwoman Randy DeFoor for comment. We’re waiting to hear back.
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To report a complaint, you can call (904) 630-2129 or email JSONuisanceProperty@JaxSheriff.org
