Retiree Forced to Abandon Home After Group of "Miscreants" Took Over, Police Say
Six “rowdy” men and women “tormented” the neighbors until they were evicted
Over the years, stringent renter's rights laws have been established in order to protect renters from getting taken advantage of by landlords. However, while laws have been helpful for renters with slumlords, they have also made it a lot easier for squatters and nightmare tenants to remain in homes and apartments long after they should have been gone.
Case in point? A Florida retiree who rented out rooms in her home was reportedly forced to leave her own place and stay with a friend after two tenants decided to open up the home to a group of their rowdy friends.
According to Brevard Country Sheriff's Office, a whopping 59 complaints have been filed since January, averaging out to 10 calls a month. "For months now, the neighbors on Ash Street in Melbourne have been forced to deal with numerous miscreants who basically took over the residence located at 243 Ash Street," they stated in a news release this week.
"This (group) essentially forced out the rightful owner, an elderly lady who moved in with her friend in Palm Bay. After that, those staying at the residence became a constant pain to the neighbors as they trashed the house, did drugs, trespassed on the neighbors property, created disturbances and so on!"
The owner of the home, a 79-year-old woman, has not been identified. However, neighbors maintain they have been "tormented" by the group that took her home, and a mass eviction occurred on June 20.
According to the sheriff's office, out of the six people who were squatting in the home, "Only one of the people inside had enough common sense to immediately comply. … The other five occupants, yeah, they made the mistake of running towards the rear of the residence and refused to come out," officials said.
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Three women and two men were charged with resisting arrest without violence, according to the report. "After we secured the house, we had a locksmith change all of the locks and completely secure the premises, so if they come back we get to arrest them again for even more stuff!"
