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Legal loopholes are leaving landlords and homeowners nationwide without recourse when squatters take up residence at their properties.Oftentimes, police tell exasperated homeowners their hands are tied when they discover an unwelcome resident living rent-free on their properties.
But in these five cases, squatters got their comeuppance and, in some instances, landed themselves new beds behind bars.
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1. Eight migrants busted in Bronx home, found squatting with drugs and guns
Eight migrants found squatting in a Bronx apartment last month were arrested on gun and drug charges after police received a call about a gun at the home.
All eight were previously apprehended at the southern border and released into the U.S. by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Fox New Digital previously reported.One, 24-year-old Hector Desousa-Villata, had previous charges for attempted murder after allegedly shooting a fellow migrant in the leg in August during an argument over a woman. But the case against him fell apart when the victim refused to cooperate.
A group of eight illegal migrants found squatting in a Bronx apartment are now facing guns and weapons charges. All had been previously caught at the southern border and released, authorities said. (WNYW)
Desousa-Villata was allegedly waving a gun when police responded at the Hull Avenue home March 27. Police chasing him into a basement apartment reportedly encountered seven more migrants, including a 22-year-old man who tried to flee with a weapon.
The New York Police Department released photos of four guns, ammunition and bags of cocaine and ketamine they say they found in the home.
But Bronx Judge Eugene Bowen released six of the eight squatters without bail against the wishes of prosecutors.
2. Squatter caught in dead man’s home after forging documents to sell his SUVAn alleged Arizona squatter drew attention to himself after selling a dead man’s SUV after taking up residence in his home.
Michael Macinnis, 45, allegedly forged documents to make it appear he was the real owner of the deceased man’s 2005 Chevy Tahoe, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office announced after his Jan. 3 arrest.
Macinnis had been squatting in the unidentified man’s Cordes Lakes home in May of last year, the department wrote, months after the rightful owner died.
Michael Macinnis, 45, was arrested by the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 3 for allegedly squatting in a dead man’s home and selling his SUV. (Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office/Google Maps)
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Police caught wind of the scam after Macinnis sold the Tahoe to a resident of Flagstaff about 80 miles away, they said.His attempts to resist arrest reportedly included “slamming a metal door on a deputy’s wrist” and swallowing “up to 40” fentanyl pills.
After his release from a hospital, Macinnis was charged with nine felonies, including aggravated assault on law enforcement and charges related to forgery and fraud allegations.
Video3. Squatter pirates evicted from boats in Florida with police citing ‘disgusting’ sewage
Earlier this year, police in South Florida told Fox News Digital they were cracking down on vagrants taking up residence in derelict boats, citing environmental concerns about leaking fuel and human sewage.
Martin County Sheriff Chief Deputy John Budensiek explained in an interview with Fox News Digital that taking up residence in “derelict” vessels — defined as boats in waterways with at least two violations, ranging from leaking fuel to not having a motor — is not a victimless crime.
“[When boats become] inoperable, some of these owners will abandon them, or they’ll sell them to someone who doesn’t re-register the vessel. Those people, in turn, stay on these boats or run these vessels until they are completely unusable. And they sink, or they leak fuel, or they leak human waste and they become a real danger to us environmentally,” he said in a January interview.
“Most of them don’t have functional bathrooms. … We have these vagrants that are squatting on the boats and using the facilities. And the facilities within the boat are just draining right into our estuaries, right into our ocean and our rivers,” he said.
A derelict boat removed by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office years ago. Derelict boats have long been an issue in the area, officials say, but squatters and homeless people are increasingly moving into the vessels. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office )
The majority of these nautical squatters, Budensiek said, are addicted to drugs or suffer from mental illness and are not working to find jobs or get out of squalor.
Removing and destroying the boats is expensive, costing anywhere between $7,000 and $40,000. But Budensiek said those funds are taken from boater registration fees.
4. Georgia man ‘relieved’ after police remove squatters who settled in his property while he cared for his sick wifeA Georgia man whose home was commandeered by squatters while he was away caring for his sick wife was relieved when police managed to evict the unwelcome guests.
On March 4, DeKalb County law enforcement responded to calls to evict at least three people from Paul Callins’ home, he told Atlanta’s WSB-TV.
VideoWhen police arrived, Callins said, one woman presented them with a phony lease on her phone and had no physical document to show them. The three interlopers even changed the locks on the vacant home, Callins said.
“I’m frustrated, but I’m glad I was able to get it resolved,” he told the outlet.
Callins told WSB-TV he believes the alleged squatters drafted a fake lease after seeing an ad for the property he posted online. But one man inside the home told WSB-TV he and his family were victims of a fake leasing agent’s scam.
5. Nashville squatters allegedly cause $150,000 in damage before burglary arrest
Nashville Police arrested three squatters who took up residence in a home while it was under renovation, but only after they had caused $150,000 in damage, the homeowner said.
The homeowner told WSMV he noticed a keypad lock had been installed, and all his windows were blacked out when he stopped by the West Nashville property for a routine check.
He discovered squatters had moved their furniture, clothes and other valuables inside the home on Huntwick Trail. The homeowner said they also left busted windows, holes in walls and animal feces.
Video“He said, ‘I’m renting this property. I have a lease for it. I have paperwork,” the homeowner recalled of his conversations with an alleged squatter, according to WSMV. “I knew he was full of c—. I told him I’m calling the police.”
The Metro Nashville Police Department responded to and charged Robert Reynolds, Brooke Livesay and Jason Hay with burglary after they refused to leave, the outlet reported.
“It’s definitely a wake-up call to always watch your back,” the homeowner said, WSMV reported. “Make sure you’re prepared to not let things slide and to always check up on property that you have and be aware of what’s going on.”
Christina Coulter is a U.S. and World reporter for Fox News Digital. Email story tips to christina.coulter@fox.com.
