Friday, June 30, 2017

Shortly After Elderly Homeowner Breaks Hip & Gets Placed In Assisted Living Facility, Squatters Move Into His Home & Tear It To Pieces; Eventually Get Booted By Cops

In Spokane, Washington, KXLY-TV Channel 4 reports:
  • When Josh Mulvey was making coffee Monday morning, he noticed a man trying to steal an ATV from his neighbor's garage near E. Grace and N. Havana St.

    "I ran outside, snuck up behind him, yelled at him, asked him what he was doing," said Mulvey.

    The man fled on a bike, and Mulvey decided to take a closer look, discovering something even more troubling.

    "I went around to the front of the house and the front door was cracked open," Mulvey said.

    The homeowner is a man in his 80's. Mulvey had only met him a few times, and decided to call authorities for a welfare check.

    "When the police officer showed up, they went inside just to make sure the homeowner was okay," Mulvey said. "When they got in there, they found a couple squatters, who were living inside the house and I guess they were asleep."

    Mulvey soon learned the homeowner had broken his hip months ago and was living in an assisted living home just down the street.

    Squatters had taken advantage of the vacant home and trashed the inside.

    "I mean, the inside of the house is just destroyed," he said. "I mean, they basically took everything that man built, the life that man built, and just tore it to pieces."

    The squatters were cited by police and have since left the house. Mulvey said he's being vigilant, and working with homeowner's family. He's put up "no trespassing" signs, installed padlocks, and plans to mount security cameras. Mulvey hopes his efforts will deter any future trouble.

    "This isn't a place you can come and break into and loot from anyone. You know, this is somebody's home, not an abandoned house," said Mulvey.