Trapdoor, secret room found in Milton house

By Andria Simmons

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Milton couple who recently purchased a house discovered a feature that wasn't listed among the amenities: a trapdoor leading to a secret room.

Workers were pulling up the carpet at the house on Nix Road to install a hardwood floor when they stumbled across a plywood trapdoor, according to a Milton Police report. Stairs underneath the trapdoor led to a room behind a walled-off portion of the basement.

The workers contacted the homeowners, who then called police. Officers used their flashlights to search the darkened room. It was mostly cleaned out, but they discovered a large trash bag containing "miscellaneous equipment that could be used in the growing of marijuana plants," the police report stated.

The couple told police they purchased the four-bedroom, three bathroom home at foreclosure in December and were in the process of renovating it. They said the house had been inspected twice in September and October of 2009. The trapdoor went undetected both times. The house was built in 1995.

The police report indicates that investigators are looking into whether the prior homeowner was involved in growing and harvesting marijuana. Capt. John Huey of Milton Police would only state that "the investigation is ongoing."

The homeowners declined to speak on the record about the discovery and asked that their specific address not be revealed, citing safety concerns.