Squatter Living In $700K Foreclosed Home Rigged Meter In Theft Of City Water, Say Cops

In Sugar Grove, Illinois, WLS-TV Channel 7 reports:

• Suburban police arrested a man accused of illegally moving into a mansion after its owners were evicted. The alleged squatter is charged with two felonies. [...] Sugar Grove police suspect this is happening more than anyone is aware but they say the suspect in this case was brazen. [42-year old Steven Hawthorne allegedly] took over a $700,000 home and moved furniture in, including a couple of big screen television. And he acted like he owned it.

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• Hawthorne had [...] no legal right to move in. But with no mortgage company clamoring to evict him, authorities had no reason to get involved. Until they discovered he was allegedly using city utility, specifically water. Police works department shut the water off and put a lock on the valve.

• "He cut the lock off. We put another lock on, he cut that one off. We put a boot on for the lock, cut that one off and put his own on," said Detective John Sizer, Sugar Grove Police. Hawthorne had also apparently illegally arranged to get free gas and electricity. Finally, the county sheriff's department got the authority to evict him. Police charged him with theft of government property and criminal damage to state-supported property, both felonies.

For the story, see Police arrest alleged mansion squatter.

In a related story, see With Advocates’ Help, Squatters Call Foreclosures Home.

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