OAN’s Elizabeth Volberding
10:50 AM – Sunday, May 5, 2024
Six squatters who stole a neighbor’s car and moved into a half-million dollar house in South Fulton, Georgia, have been arrested by police and taken into custody.
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After tracking a neighbor’s stolen automobile to their driveway, the South Fulton Police Department (SFPD) arrested six squatters who had been living in a $450,000 suburban house for several months.
Residents in the area told WANF-TV News that the six squatters, who moved into the vacant house at 4300 Caveat Court on Christmas Day last year, had long since become a “nuisance” in the neighborhood.
As a result, South Fulton police officers arrested the squatters and retrieved the stolen car on Saturday.
Atlanta News First was informed by Hampton Oaks Homeowners Association President Mel Keyton that the neighbor whose car was stolen was out of town.
“Squatters stole her car and they brought it back over here to drive it in the driveway,” said Keyton.
“They buy these homes, and the people say they can afford them. They do the paperwork, and they’re supposed to buy it back from the company,” added Keyton. “They never buy it back. They leave the house vacant, squatters move in. We don’t know who these people are and what they’re doing.”
According to Keyton, when the owners were out of town, the squatters broke into another abandoned house in the neighborhood and took their car.
Vice-president of the homeowner association, Kendra Snorton, stated that she believes police would not have been able to do anything if the vehicle hadn’t been taken.
“Not knowing who’s living amongst us, it really makes you feel uneasy and you just don’t feel safe,” Snorton told Fox News affiliate WAGA-TV. “You don’t feel safe. The ringleader, we see him walking his dog all the time. He’s very courteous and polite when he interacts with the community.”
“For the police to come and walk away saying they can’t do anything, that leaves us very hopeless,” added Snorton. “It’s really bad for the people out here like myself that work hard to live out here in this reputable neighborhood, but yet you have people that can just come out here and take over.”
Recently, Georgia lawmakers approved a law that will strictly prohibit squatting in order to better protect homeowners.
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