A halfway house for sex offenders in the East Valley, which received criticism from neighbors, is now for sale.
Debbie Schmidt says she and her husband Steve are disappointed that their plans didn't go over well in the Desert Uplands community of Mesa.
"I was surprised at the 'venomence'," said Debbie Schmidt. "In Apache Junction, the neighbors were friendly, they were supportive, they got to know us."
But many residents were happy to see the "For Sale" sign go up, and say being neighborly is not an option.
"We're just going to stay on top of everything like we do, and hope they find a location that's like 5 miles out of town, away from residential areas because it's just not appropriate," said one resident, who wanted to stay anonymous.
The Schmidts were ordered to cease and desist all operations, because they never applied for the proper permits.
"I wish that people would go out of their way to find a sex offender, an ex-sex offender, and get to know them as people, and give them a chance to be people," said Debbie Schmidt.
She says they plan to find a commercial building or a church to move their halfway house.
