Steamboat SpringsSteamboat Springs — Steamboat Springs resident Jon Wade and his investment partners closed on a $705,000 rental property Tuesday afternoon. The next day, he discovered the four tenants he had inherited had thrown a “demo party” the night before that resulted in what he estimated is in excess of $100,000 in damage. — Steamboat Springs resident Jon Wade and his investment partners closed on a $705,000 rental property Tuesday afternoon. The next day, he discovered the four tenants he had inherited had thrown a “demo party” the night before that resulted in what he estimated is in excess of $100,000 in damage.

Steamboat Springs — Steamboat Springs resident Jon Wade and his investment partners closed on a $705,000 rental property Tuesday afternoon. The next day, he discovered the four tenants he had inherited had thrown a “demo party” the night before that resulted in what he estimated is in excess of $100,000 in damage.

The tenants were gone.

“We were shocked,” Wade said. “We were told that it was badly damaged, but we couldn’t believe there was this much damage.”

Police are investigating the incident, which could result in the felony arrest of whomever is responsible.

Wade was planning on going to the duplex rental house to meet his new tenants Wednesday and arrange a lease. Before he had the chance to do that, he got a phone call from a renter, John O’Carroll, living in the basement apartment.

O’Carroll had to walk over broken glass and substances that could have either been blood or ketchup to get to the laundry room. The house looked like a demolition crew had been through it, O’Carroll said.

“I thought it was probably a good idea to get ahold of the new owners,” O’Carroll said, so he called Wade.

There was graffiti on nearly every wall that had not been punched through or ripped down. Windows, doors, appliances, carpet and fixtures had been destroyed. The rooms stank of stale beer and other odors. A broken ceiling fan was underneath a pile of trash on the floor. Wade guessed someone jumped onto the fan from the second floor and both the person and fan came crashing down onto the living room floor.

“They tore it up,” said Steamboat Springs Police Sgt. Dale Coyner. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Wade said the house, at the corner of Apres Ski Way and Walton Creek Road, was dirty, but in overall good shape when he had it inspected. He did not know the house he had purchased was a notorious Steamboat party house known as the “House of Shade.”

“We’ve been up there numerous times in the last couple years for noise complaints, parties, that sort of thing,” Coyner said.

O’Carroll said he called the police Tuesday night anonymously to complain about the noise from the party after he noticed drywall dust falling from his ceiling.

Coyner said police responded to the home Tuesday night for a report of a fight, but officers did not find one.

Wade said he does not know what the people at the party were thinking.

“We never said one word about demolishing the house,” Wade said. “It’s a good rental.”

As a broker with Colorado Group Realty, Wade knew it was important to have insurance lined up as soon as he and his partners had closed on the house. The home is insured for $450,000, Wade said. With the amount of damage and cost to rebuild and update the house to meet today’s building standards “it could hit that” dollar amount, he said.

Insurance might be one of the reasons Wade is able to find the humor in the situation.

“We were quite impressed with how industrious the boys were,” he said.

Still, Wade is offering a $250 reward for information that leads to the successful prosecution of those responsible. People can call Routt County Crime Stoppers at 870-6226.

Coyner said a detective has interviewed two of the tenants, but no arrests have been made because the incident still is under investigation.

– To reach Matt Stensland, call 871-4210

or e-mail mstensland@steamboatpilot.com