A Georgia homeowner was arrested after attempting to move back into her property, which is now being occupied by a squatter.
In a troubling incident in Georgia, a homeowner named Loletha Hale was arrested after trying to return to her house.
The property was occupied by a person identified as Sakemeyia Johnson, whom Hale claims is a squatter.
This situation has raised many questions about property rights and legal definitions.
Hale found Johnson living in her home.
Loletha Hale discovered Sakemeyia Johnson in her home back in August.
At that time, Johnson received a citation for squatting.
However, a judge later ruled that Johnson was not a squatter because she was related to the partner of a previous tenant.
Johnson used this ruling to defend herself when the police were called.
“I was written a citation saying I was a squatter. But a judge signed an order saying that I wasn’t a squatter,” Johnson said.
“I spent the night on a mat on a concrete floor in deplorable conditions while this woman, this squatter, slept in my home,” she said.
Hale pursued legal action to evict Johnson.
Despite the legal ruling, Hale was determined to have Johnson removed.
She took her case to court and successfully obtained an eviction order on November 18.
However, Johnson did not leave the property as ordered.
Hale felt frustrated, insisting that Johnson had no right to be there since they had no contract or agreement.
The homeowner returned home to find Johnson inside.
On December 9, Hale returned to her late mother’s home to clean and prepare it.
She wanted to make the house ready for her family.
However, when she arrived, she found the locks broken and Johnson back inside.
Hale was shocked and upset, stating, “How can she not be squatting when I’ve never had any type of contract relationship with this person?”
Police intervened in the case.
After finding Johnson in the house, Hale called the police.
She wanted them to enforce the eviction order.
Bodycam footage from the officers showed them trying to explain the situation to Hale.
They urged her to consider Johnson’s circumstances and the challenges she might be facing.
“She just caught up out of nowhere. She had this guy with her, and I locked the door.
I locked the screen door, and he forced himself in telling us to get out,” Johnson can be seen telling officers in bodycam footage.
“Just think of it from this perspective, though,” an officer can be heard telling Hale.
“Everybody isn’t as fortunate as you to have a bed. All the little things, a bed in their house, food in the kitchen.”
Georgia homeowner arrested for attempting to re-enter her home occupied by squatter
Hale was adamant about her rights to her property.
She refused to leave, which led to her being handcuffed and arrested.
The police charged her with criminal trespassing and making threats.
The report stated that Hale had attempted an illegal eviction and threatened Johnson, saying, “Leave before I get my gun.”
On the other hand, Johnson faced charges of making terroristic threats and criminal trespassing.
However, she has not been charged with squatting due to the earlier ruling from the judge.
Loletha Hale expressed her frustration after being arrested.
She felt it was wrong for Johnson to be allowed to stay in her home while she was taken away by police.
Hale remarked, “To see that woman walk into my mom’s house while I was in the police car, something is wrong with this picture.”
Squatting cases have significantly increased in Georgia.
The issue of squatting has been increasing in Georgia.
Reports show that in 2017, there were only three squatting cases in the state.
By 2021, that number had risen to 50, and in 2023, there were 198 civil squatting cases.
This rise in squatting incidents raises concerns for homeowners and local authorities alike.