A Clayton County home-owner has landed in jail, charged with trespassing after she tried to return to her house occupied by an alleged squatter.
“I spent the evening on a mat on a concrete flooring in deplorable circumstances. While this lady, this squatter was sleeping in my home,” Loletha Hale mentioned Justin Gray, Channel 2 shopper investigator.
Clayton County cops and sheriff’s deputies have been known as to the house on Livingston Drive on Dec. 9.
An officer might be heard on physique digicam footage telling Hale to take a look at issues from the alleged squatter’s standpoint.
«But consider it from this angle. Not everyone seems to be as fortunate as you to have a mattress. All the little issues, a mattress in the home, meals within the kitchen,” the congressman mentioned.
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But Hale mentioned it began in August when he discovered an alleged squatter within the house and known as police.
Police cited the alleged squatter, Sakemeyia Johnson, utilizing the brand new Georgia Squatter Reform Act.
But Clayton County Court Judge Latrevia Lates-Johnson dominated that “Sakemeyia Johnson isn’t a squatter” as a result of she is expounded to the accomplice of a beforehand evicted tenant.
“How can she not be employed when I’ve by no means had any form of contractual relationship with this individual?” Hale mentioned.
In sheriff’s division bodycam video from the Dec. 9 scene, Johnson informed responding officers, “I used to be written a quotation saying I used to be a squatter. But a choose signed an order saying I used to be not a squatter.”
This started a several-month court docket battle with a number of filings, hearings and appeals. Johnson even filed for chapter, itemizing Hale as his sole creditor.
But on Nov. 18, a Justice of the Peace choose issued a remaining ruling in Hale’s favor.
Hale mentioned he thought Johnson had left the home and came visiting the weekend to start out cleansing the home.
“I got here again on Monday to start out portray and she or he had damaged the locks on my property,” Hale mentioned.
“She was shocked out of nowhere. He had this man with him and I locked the door. I locked the display door and he compelled himself to inform us to get out,” Johnson informed police.
In the incident report, the responding officer wrote that Hale “carried out an illegal eviction and forcibly eliminated Ms. Johnson’s belongings.”
The incident report states that within the cellphone video Hale “may clearly be heard stating ‘get away earlier than I get my gun.'”
Officers on scene confirmed with court docket employees that Hale didn’t get hold of a signed deed of possession to legally evict a tenant.
Hale admits as a lot, saying she had been ready for weeks for the doc to be signed by a Justice of the Peace choose.
“Seeing that lady come into my mom’s home whereas I used to be within the police automobile, there’s one thing fallacious with that picture. There is one thing intrinsically fallacious with this picture.”
Hale was charged with felony trespassing and a misdemeanor rely of creating terrorist threats.
The alleged squatter has not been charged with any crime.
