Agoura Hills sober living home goes in the tank

A sober living home operating in a residential neighborhood of Agoura Hills has been shut down by the state, city officials said.

The transitional home at 5615 Mainmast Place was opened in January to help recovering alcoholics stay sober. California law allows residential treatment centers to operate in residential areas, but special licensing is required. Because the home violated certain licensing procedures, it was told to cease operation.

Residents in the tight-knit neighborhood had expressed concern about whether the business was appropriate for a neighborhood filled with children.

Critics complained that more than six residents were living in the home, which was illegal.

As the city investigated its right to shut down a rehab center allowable under state law, one resident filed a complaint with the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs (ADP).

"From the time the city was first advised of the complaint to ADP, it was in consistent contact with ADP on this issue," said Louis Celaya, assistant to the city manager.

Eventually the Los Angeles Prosecutor's office became involved.

"Investigations revealed that the property owner was operating a drug and alcohol recovery and treatment facility without the required state license," Celaya said.

Agoura Hills officials contacted the owner, Charles Knupp, with orders to "cease and desist."

Knupp, 33, a sober living coach, closed the transitional living home on March 25.

The home may no longer be in operation as a halfway house for recovering alcoholics, but concerns about the home bringing crime into the neighborhood still linger among residents.

Mainmast resident Anne Cooper said crime in the area spiked during the period of time the home was being used as a rehab center. Cooper alleges that a car was stolen, a home burglarized and nearby businesses broken into.

But Lt. Steve Smith of Lost Hills Sheriff Station said crimes in the Mainmast neighborhood could not be linked to the sober living home.

The closing of the sober living home might be temporary, officials say. The Knupps could reopen their home as a sober living house—if they stick to the guidelines established by the state.

"State law affords protection to facilities such as this and places limits on local regulation of them," Celaya said.