In the city’s ongoing crackdown on events at a Buckhead “party mansion,” a man was arrested and charged with a noise violation and obstruction July 6.
According to the Atlanta Police Department, officers responded to the mansion at 4499 Garmon Road around 5:20 p.m. July 6 for a noise complaint. Olutosin Oduwole, whom police identified as the property’s “owner,” was asked to turn down the music and he “did not comply,” according to police. He was taken into custody and issued citations alleging a noise violation and obstruction, according to APD.
APD says officers also issued a noise violation citation on a DJ, Dashon Sheppard.
Atlanta is among the metro area cities struggling with how to deal with commercial events at residential properties. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Buckhead-area City Councilmember J.P. Matzigkeit recently introduced legislation that will attempt to ban such “party houses” without a special permit. Sandy Springs recently said it will change policies after a major mansion party within its borders.
The Garmon Road mansion is one of the prime motivators of the legislation. Once home to music and film star Kenny Rogers, the mansion was the source of neighborhood controversy in 2018 for a string of massive parties, some with guests arriving by helicopter or toting AR-15-style rifles for security.
Part of the city’s difficulty in dealing with complaints has been confusion about who owns and controls the property. In 2006, Rogers sold the mansion to Adeyinka “Yinka” Adesokan and Paula Nelson, who remain the owners listed in Fulton online property records. Officials have said they have been unable to contact either of those owners and Reporter found that listed phone numbers for Adesokan and Nelson were disconnected.
After party complaints last year, a woman named Tasia Holdorf claimed to be the new owner of the property and, in December 2018, pled guilty in municipal court to a zoning violation, for which she was fined $1,000.
The partying faded after Holdorf was citied last year, but recently returned, with the mansion appearing on various rental websites under such names as the “Lionheart Mansion.” On June 30, police issued a noise citation against a woman who was renting the mansion, and the city issued a stop-work order for a zoning violation.
Oduwole is listed as the rental contact for the mansion on one short-term vacation rental website, Vrbo.com, where the property is called the “Oduwole Mansion.” Its average rental rated is listed at $8,550 per night.