Police in Georgia arrested six squatters who moved into a half-million-dollar home after stealing a neighbor’s car.
South Fulton police detained the squatters at 4300 Caveat Court and recovered the stolen vehicle on Saturday, after they had been illegally staying at the home for five months.
The video shows the officers handcuffing the intruders and sitting them on the sidewalk outside the house.
Mel Keyton, president of the Hampton Oaks Homeowners Association, said Atlanta news first The neighbor whose car was stolen was out of town.
“The squatters stole his car and brought it here to drive it down the driveway,” Keyton said.
South Fulton Police arrested the squatters at 4300 Caveat Court after they stole a neighbor’s car.
The video shows the officers handcuffing the intruders and sitting them on the sidewalk outside the house.
Neighbors said the squatters have been living in the house since Christmas Day.
The home at 4300 Caveat Court, which has an estimated value on Zillow of $518,400, is assumed to be empty, according to police.
Kendra Snorton, vice president of the Hampton Oaks Homeowners Association, said FOX 5 Atlanta The squatters moved into the empty house on Christmas Day.
We see the ringleader walking his dog all the time. He is very courteous and polite when he interacts with the community,” Snorton said.
The squatters had been living in the community for months, but were finally arrested after stealing the car.
‘When the police arrived, the car was behind us in the yard. That’s how we put two and two together,” Keyton said.
“We don’t know who these people are or what they are doing.”
The South Fulton Police Department told DailyMail.com that the stolen vehicle was returned to its rightful owner.
“We sincerely appreciate the vigilance of our community members, who play a vital role in our ongoing efforts to reduce crime in our city,” police said.
The home at 4300 Caveat Court (pictured), which has a Zillow estimate of $518,400, is assumed to be empty, according to police.
South Fulton residents hope the passage of a new law will make it easier to evict squatters and will no longer have to commit crimes like stealing vehicles to get arrested.
‘Hopefully it won’t be too bad. Hopefully we won’t have to use as much police,” Keyton said.
Gov. Brian Kemp last month signed House Bill 1017, known as the Georgia Squatter Reform Act, into law. The bill criminalizes illegal squatting, defining it as “entering and residing on the owner’s land or premises without consent.”
Violators will be required to provide consent authorization within three days, and failure to do so will result in an arrest for criminal trespass.
If documentation is provided, the accused squatter must attend a trial court hearing within seven days to prove the documents are legitimate.
The new law, which will go into effect in July, classifies squatting as a misdemeanor. Trespassers could face a $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail, or both.
Meanwhile, false swearing and submitting inadequate or fraudulent documentation count as more serious felony charges.
Those who present false documents will be subject to fines covering damages, back rent based on the fair market value of the property, and up to one year in jail.
The National Rental Housing Council surveyed its members and found that about 1,200 homes in the Atlanta area have had squatters, it reported news week.
The survey found that there were an estimated 475 homes that had squatters in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and about 125 in Orange County, Florida, which includes Orlando.
George Kalb, 48, was arrested and charged with first-degree burglary and theft by conversion after occupying a dead man’s empty home.
Owner Michael Peterson died in June 2023 after suffering a heart attack. He did not have a will and the house has since been foreclosed on.
Cobb County police arrested a squatter who broke into a dead man’s home and charged him with first-degree burglary and theft by conversion on April 26.
George Kalb, 48, was arrested after neighbors on Goldenwood Court, a quiet cul-de-sac in Powder Springs, were alarmed when they saw a U-Haul truck pull into the driveway of the vacant home two weeks earlier.
Owner Michael Peterson died in June 2023 after suffering a heart attack. He did not have a will and the house has since been foreclosed on.
Neighbors were surprised when they saw Kalb arrive in a moving truck on April 16.
Over the course of the next 10 days, he changed the locks, invited guests and tidied up the garden.