6 illegal occupation suspects They were arrested outside a $500,000-plus home in the Atlanta area, but thanks to a new law, they may soon disappear for good.
“This is the worst criminal act I’ve ever seen in my life.”
The house at 4300 Cavito Court in the Hampton Oaks neighborhood of South Fulton, Georgia, was supposed to be vacant. Its value is estimated at $518,400, according to Zillow.
However, on Christmas Day 2023, several squatters are said to have taken advantage of the empty house and moved in as if it were their own. Neighbors knew no one was allowed to live in the house, but there was little they could do about the alleged squatting because Georgia law at the time treated it as a civil matter.
“The ringleader is always seen walking his dog,” said Kendra Snorton, vice president of the Hampton Oaks Homeowners Association. “When he interacts with the community, he’s a very polite and courteous person.”
However, the suspected squatters allegedly broke into another home in the neighborhood while the owner was out, stole the owner’s car, and parked it in the driveway of the home they were occupying for rent. Maybe he said it to himself. free.
“The car was in the yard behind us when the police came,” he said. Hampton Oaks HOA President Mel Keaton. “That’s how I put two and two together.”
All six trespassing suspects were arrested. The two were charged with felonies. The remaining four were charged with trespassing. The car was returned to its rightful owner.
But the drama didn’t end there. The suspected squatters then bonded from jail and returned within 24 hours to break into a neighbor’s home, Keaton said. fox newsHowever, it is unclear whether they allegedly broke into the house they were occupying or the house where they stole the car. Keaton said the suspects were quickly rearrested.
“This is the worst criminal act I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Keaton, who is running as a Democrat for the Georgia House of Representatives.
“It’s dangerous,” he said. Added. “They use our amenities. They roam the neighborhoods and break into homes.”
Thankfully, on April 24, Republican Governor Brian Kemp signed the Georgia Squatter Reform Act into law, which went into effect immediately. The new law makes the tort in Georgia a misdemeanor, punishable by a $1,000 fine, one year in prison, or both. If the squatter falsifies documents in furtherance of the squatter’s plan, the charge can also be upgraded to a felony.
There are about 1,200 squatter-occupied homes in and around Atlanta, and the new anti-squatter law offers hope to struggling residents.
“I hope it doesn’t get this bad.” [again]”I hope we don’t have to mobilize this many police forces,” Keaton said.
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