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Powder Springs squatter arrested
When a man died and his home went into foreclosure, his family says a stranger decided to move in, but he was not legally allowed to. That stranger is now in the Cobb County Jail.
POWDER SPRINGS, Ga. - A man who moved into a home that had been vacant after the owner died is now living in the Cobb County jail.
Neighbors on Goldenwood Court quickly grew suspicious of a man who had moved into a house that belonged to 59-year-old Michael Peterson. The 30-year resident died last June.
After his death, the house went into foreclosure, and sat vacant, until April, when a stranger moved in.
Neighbors suspected he was a squatter and immediately called the family.
Family members say he had no right to be there.
"He had a fake document signed by a real estate agent in Alabama we've never heard of, and a key to the back door that he had broken into and replaced the lock on," said Brittany Peterson, Michael's daughter-in-law.
Police said since the man produced a lease, there was little they could do. They asked neighbors to report anything unusual.
Neighbors started watching the house. They saw him raking leaves, occasionally doing yard work. They say he was also selling items that were in the house.
"When I saw people walking out of the house with Michael's personal belongings, it's like, 'OK, now he's selling stuff out of the house,'" said Cristina Scelsi, who lives across the street.
Neighbors gave videos and detailed information to the police. Less than 2 weeks later, police arrested 49-year-old George Kalb on charges of burglary and theft by conversion.
Kalb was arrested just before Georgia's new so-called Squatters Law went into effect. The law adds stiffer penalties and speeds up the process of removing a squatter from a property.
Peterson says, had that law been in place, it would have been easier to get the stranger out of the house.
"I think homeowners in the future are going to have a much quicker response time to this. Whereas a few weeks ago the response was, you're going to have to go through an eviction process which could take months or years," said Peterson.
The family and neighbors are relieved the man has been arrested. As for the house, it is set to be auctioned off next week.