WILMINGTON — A local landlord was ordered to sell several properties before the end of the year after he pleaded guilty Monday to 34 criminal counts.

Fred Haught, of Fred Haught Realty, age 88, appeared in Clinton County Municipal Court in front of visiting Judge Jerry McBride and entered his plea as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. Haught was joined by his attorney Anthony Satariano.

The charges include 25 counts of zoning violations, four counts of exterior structure violations, two counts of litter, two counts of public nuisance, and one count of reciprocity.

The charges involve the following properties: 873 Rombach Ave., 889 Rombach Ave., 141 W. Locust St., 262 N. Mulberry St., 129 W. Locust St., 237 N. Lincoln St., and 180 Columbus St. — all Wilmington locations.

As part of the plea deal, Haught must sell the properties on or before Dec. 22, 2023 at 8 a.m.

Haught was sentenced to a total of 420 days in jail — a sentence that will be suspended upon proof of the property sales — and must pay a total of $3,500 in fines. The proof of the sales must be presented to Annen Vance, code enforcement official, for the City of Wilmington.

The charges for Haught stem back to December 2021 and involve the two Rombach Avenue properties. Vance reported “litter throughout the property” and “the structure had signs of deterioration that rendered the structure incapable of safely supporting any weight.”

In December 2021, Haught was originally charged with eight charges (the litter, public nuisance, structure, exterior property, public nuisance charges), followed by 17 zoning violations charges and the reciprocity charge in July 2022, and nine additional zoning charges in May.

Haught has owned about 50 properties in and around Wilmington, according to the Clinton County Auditor’s Office website. According to City of Wilmington records, many of those properties — some currently rented, some awaiting rental, some apparently abandoned for months or years — have had multiple violations, citations, court cases, and complaints from tenants and neighbors.

A diversion review hearing is scheduled for Feb. 1 to determine the status of the sales and Haught’s compliance.

Reach John Hamilton at 937-382-2574