Squatters who took over Dan Le Batard’s Florida residence have been arrested, an event that the well-known sports journalist labeled as a “violation.”
Authorities reported that 37-year-old Diego Alejandro Escobar Ortega, originally from Colombia, was seen being cuffed outside Le Batard’s Miami Shores home late Wednesday. It was mentioned that he claimed to have owned the house for many years but later confessed to entering and exiting through the windows, as shown in the video.
On his radio show, Le Batard revealed that police discovered a bed and a “full television” in an upstairs room that had been locked from the inside, confirming the arrest of the trespasser.
“Can you tell me how I should feel about this?” he pondered aloud with his co-host.
“It felt like a violation,” he added.
Le Batard expressed that his suspicions began a few days prior when he stumbled upon numerous doorknobs in a drawer. He believes the squatters planned to replace the locks on his home.
“The squatter had completely taken over my house and was preparing to put everything there… so when I got there and said, ‘This is my house,’ he could spend months there litigating for free.”
He and his wife dedicated years to developing their Miami Shores home, which they had been using as an Airbnb and workspace. Recently, they noticed items in the house being rearranged, which raised their suspicions after no one they recognized had been there.
Police were contacted after Le Batard’s assistant reported strange belongings in the house and the discovery of a locked room upstairs that seemed “unusual.”
Officers searched the premises but initially found no one; however, they did come across “clothing, a makeshift bed, food in the refrigerator, and various other personal items,” according to the police report.
Escobar-Ortega returned to the driveway in a gray car while the officers were still at the scene.
Le Batard stated that he appeared “coming through the window” and mentioned that police might not have been able to arrest him if he had been inside, referencing squatter rights.
Escobar Ortega insisted he had owned the house for 20 to 30 years, despite officers informing him that he sold it in 2020, as captured on body camera footage during his arrest.
He explained that he only entered and exited through the window because he did not possess a key.
Escobar Ortega was charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling because he didn’t have any documentation proving ownership or permission to remain there, according to authorities.
He was taken into custody and held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $7,500 bond.
Additionally, he was ordered to remain away from Le Batard’s property.
