What started as a plan to buy a small plot of land to build a home turned into one of the strangest property purchases in Ohio — an entire street.
Jason Fauntleroy, from Trenton, Ohio, placed a $5,000 bid at a Butler County Sheriff’s Office auction in 2021, thinking he had bought a simple vacant lot. Instead, he unexpectedly became the owner of Bloomfield Court, a private road serving five homes.
The accidental street purchase
Bloomfield Court was originally maintained by a homeowner’s association. When Fauntleroy purchased it, responsibility for the upkeep of the road — including for all five households that live on it — fell onto him.
Trenton City Manager Marcos Nichols admitted the situation was unusual, saying he wasn’t sure how the sale happened in the first place:
“I’m not sure how that occurs other than it was a private drive that was created through a homeowner’s association.”
Eminent domain dispute
Three years after the unexpected purchase, the City of Trenton began the process of reclaiming the road through eminent domain, which allows the government to take private property for public use with fair compensation.
Fauntleroy, however, argues that the city has not been fair in its appraisal. He says only the original lot he intended to buy was valued, not the entire street he now owns.
“They shut me out. They blocked my calls. It’s hard to even get through anybody,” Fauntleroy told WCPO.
While he doesn’t oppose the city taking over the road to make it public and properly maintained, he insists he should be compensated fairly.
“Treat people fair; do honest work. Don’t just take advantage of someone because they don’t have the means of getting an attorney.”
The case highlights long-running debates in Ohio over eminent domain and property rights. For now, Fauntleroy’s unusual ownership remains caught between his unexpected purchase and the city’s efforts to take it back.
