After Legal Battle, Township Tears Down Garage Built Without Authorization

Contractors hired by Middletown Township on Tuesday tore down a garage that municipal officials have said was illegally constructed.

With a heavy police escort, contractors arrived around 9 a.m. at the home at 596 Langhorne-Yardley Road to begin demolition, which was granted by a judge, according to officials.

Middletown Township’s code enforcers have deemed that a white vinyl fence, paved pathway, and garage were constructed on the property without proper approvals. Neighbors have complained about the work and raised serious safety concerns.

According to public records, Curtis G. Smith, 42, who purchased the home in August 2022, has been locked in a battle with the township over his additions to the property, which sits not far from the Middletown Township Municipal Complex. The property has since been transferred to a trust.

Middletown Township Solicitor James Esposito was at the property as crews tore down the cinder block garage.

In an interview, Esposito said the work was undertaken with the authorization of a judge. He noted the township is looking at potential future demolition of the pathway and fence.

Jim Ennis, the director of the township’s building and zoning department, told a resident that the township had advised Smith of the planned demolition several days ago.

The work started mid-morning and the garage was taken down by early afternoon, with a dump truck carting pieces of it away.

At the time of the demolition, Smith was at the Bucks County Justice Center in Doylestown Borough for a scheduled trial on weapons-related offenses. The trial, according to court records, was continued to a later date.

A reporter for this news organization counted at least eight police officers securing the demolition project. Neighbors said there were more officers, including a police dog, earlier in the day.

The officers were there to oversee the safety of the contractors and property, police Lt. Aileen Parker said.

No problems were reported, Parker added.

Smith was reached for comment, but he requested payment via Venmo or Cashapp in return for his statement on the township’s demolition of his garage.

Following Smith’s jailing last July for contempt in a civil matter, police and sheriff’s deputies learned there could be a child inside home, which led to a response.

At the home, officers found several guns in plain view throughout the residence. Among the guns was a revolver holstered by the front door, a rifle on a couch, and two rifles in a bedroom, according to police.

Court papers revealed that Smith has past felony convictions for receiving stolen property and aggravated assault, which bars him from possessing a firearm.

Police said they located a Glock 10 handgun with a micro-conversion kit attached, an AR rifle, a Sig Sauer P380 9mm handgun, a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, a Smith and Wesson .38 revolver, a Zastava Arms rifle, body armor, several loaded magazines, and boxes of ammunition at the time.

Smith has been free leading up to his court appearance this week after a third party posted 10 percent of $500,000 bail following his 2023 criminal arrest, court papers stated.

Esposito on Tuesday said the township plans to place a lien on the property to get back the money it will pay to demolish the garage.

Since last summer, LevittownNow.com has reviewed numerous court filings related to Smith and the home.

In addition to the court hearings against Smith, township officials have sent letters to Smith for performing work without permits and disregarding stop work orders. Citations were also filed.

Smith returned some of the mailings from township officials with a red stamp that read “united state of America Republic, UCC 1-308 Without Prejudice, Refused/Returned/Offer Not Accepted, No Contact / this instrument is VOID, I am a non-citizen national-foreign to the U.S. – No Jurisdiction.”

In one court case, Smith alleged that Middletown Township officials trespassed on his property and attempted to “unlawfully” take his property by “deceiving the courts.”

Some of Smith’s responses to the township are similar to the sovereign citizen belief system.

The sovereign citizen movement began in the 1970s and has grown over the decades. Many claim that the U.S. government is illegitimate, some sovereign citizens are uncooperative with government officials, including police, and sometimes refuse to pay taxes and vehicle registration fees. In some cases, sovereign citizens display fake license plates on their vehicles, claiming the right to travel means they don’t have to register their vehicles.

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