Man living in Baltimore sewer arrested as mom claims he was harassing her children

A Maryland man allegedly living in a Baltimore County sewer was arrested after a mother accused him of repeatedly approaching and harassing her children.

Unique Wiggins of Baltimore County said she initially didn’t believe her children when they told her that a man was speaking to them from underground.

“It was a Friday, and my daughter, who is 21, called and she was panicking. And I asked, ‘What’s wrong?’ And she said, ‘Mom, I’m scared. The man told me I can’t walk right here and to just dip.’ And I’m like, ‘What man?’ And she was like, ‘The man in the sewer,’” Wiggins told WJZ-TV Thursday.

Wiggins said she decided to investigate after her children kept complaining about the man.

“I walk over to the little manhole sewer thing, and I hear somebody singing, and I think, ‘This is unbelievable.’ So I’m like, ‘Yo, yo, you,’ and he’s like, ‘What?’ And I said, ‘Leave my f****** kids alone.’ And he said, ‘No, tell them to leave me alone?’ And I said, ‘They can’t possibly be messing with you, and you are in the sewer,’” Wiggins said.

Wiggins said the man had spoken to her children and chased them down the street. She contacted police over the alleged encounters and also believes the man trespassed on her property and broke into her car.

Baltimore County Police confirmed that the man was arrested and released on his own recognizance October 13. Police did not specify the charges against him.

He was initially served with an interim peace order, which was reissued as a temporary order the following day. However, the order expired unserved on October 19 because his address was listed as unknown.

A separate peace order was issued October 16 and is set to expire Monday, police added.

“The Department remains focused on addressing community concerns, and public safety remains the priority as this process moves through the court system,” the Baltimore County Police Department said in a statement.

Wiggins said she was frustrated by what she understood from police about their ability to intervene, claiming officers told her the sewer lines and culverts were public property.

“I don’t feel like I’m protected. I don’t feel like my kids are protected. I’m not saying this gentleman should necessarily go to jail, but he should not live in the sewer. He should not be able to be down there,” she told WJZ-TV.

Wiggins said she wants county officials to take additional steps to prevent similar incidents and make residents feel safer.

“They can put a no trespassing sign there. They can put a no trespassing sign, and they can cover the holes. That’s what I would like to see. I would like Baltimore County to make me feel like I am a member of this community,” she said.

Police offered the man mobile services, but he reportedly turned them down, officials told WJZ-TV.

It is unclear exactly what those services involved, but they can include outreach programs that help people experiencing homelessness find housing, shelter and other community resources.

The Independent has contacted Baltimore County Housing and Development for comment.