Owner leaves condemned Watertown house

It took several days longer than expected, but owner Basia Dziewanowski has moved out of her condemned home at 41 Katherine Road in Watertown. Mark Reich, the town's attorney, said that around 4 p.m. today, Monday, Dziewanowski was taken by taxi to a local motel.

Officials had set a deadline of last Thursday for Dziewanowski to vacate the home. On Friday, they were having some difficulty verifying whether Dziewanowski had in fact left as directed by the health department, an order upheld by a Middlesex Superior Court judge last week. Steven Ward, head of the health department, knocked on her door but didn't get any response. Police were dispatched over the weekend to determine whether she was still there. "We couldn't tell what was going on," said Reich.

Reich said now that Dziewanowski has indeed moved out, she's been asked by Ward to turn over her keys. If she attempts to re-enter the house, she will be in contempt of the court order, said Reich.

--Christina Pazzanese