Georgia House of Representatives candidate Mel Keaton says his $450,000 Atlanta-area home was taken over by squatters who returned after being arrested and released from prison, creating an ongoing turmoil. Ta.
“This is the worst criminal act I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said Monday on “Fox & Friends First.”
The squatters’ most recent crime was breaking into the house earlier in the day, just after 1 a.m.
of The six criminals had already been discovered and arrested. after police noticed a neighbor’s stolen car parked in front of the house.
Two were charged with felonies and the other four were charged with trespassing.
Even after their release, the fight continues.
“We’ve got to get the police involved again, we’ve got to get the city of South Fulton involved again. They’re trespassing, so we’re going to go through the same process again. We already know it’s going to be vacant,” said Keaton, who is also president of the Hampton Oaks Homeowners Association.
Co-host Todd Pirro pointed out that the trespasser had been in the house since before Christmas and argued that the law was on the squatter’s side.
“They just used the legal system to stay in their homes,” Keaton added.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp recently signed the Georgia Squatter Reform Act, which speeds up the eviction process and allows property owners to pursue squatters for damages.
Fox News’ Ainsley Earhart reported on the practice last month, saying that trespassing is a misdemeanor criminal defense punishable by a year in prison.
She also noted that squatters could potentially face jail time and a $1,000 fine, and they could face felony charges if they forged a fake lease. .
Prior to Kemp’s signing, trespassing was a civil matter in Georgia.
The problem has become an epidemic in the Peach State, with Bloomberg reporting earlier this year that more than 1,200 homes in metro Atlanta had been taken over by squatters.
