A homeowner stopped by to check on his suburban Atlanta property — only to be arrested for trespassing.
Days after the departure of a previous tenant, Tim Arko pulled into the driveway of his house in desirable Decatur, where he suddenly encountered a stranger waving a gun in his face.
“I just jumped the fence and ran. I didn’t know what else to do,” Arko told local channel WSB-TV.
“I didn’t walk in on a family eating dinner. I walked in on weapons, a prostitute, a bunch of dogs in the back, my fence broken down,” he told a reporter.
After dialing 911 to report the intrusion, Arko was astonished to find himself being arrested and taken into police custody.
“They told the police that I was a home invader and that it was their home. And so I ended up being arrested and detained,” Arko said.
Since then, Arko has been fighting to evict the alleged squatters in court.
Six months later, they are still living in Arko’s home.
Two people have died in the residence from overdoses during that time.
Code enforcement has even cited Arko for not properly maintaining the house he legally can’t access.
After lengthy court delays, an eviction order was finally signed. Arko still awaits marshals, however, to conduct the eviction.
Arko said he has been informed by marshals that they are hoping for a September eviction.
“No one likes, you know, being in the court system, but it becomes even worse when it seems broken down,” said John Ernst, Arko’s attorney, told a reporter.
“I feel like it’s very heavily weighted towards these trespassers and criminals, not people that got duped,” Arko said.
Back in May, a similar incident occurred in Atlanta, when an Army officer returned to her home to find a squatter living in her sprawling $500,000 residence while she was away on active duty.
Lt. Col. Dahlia Daure told WSB-TV that she came home to find a man by the name of Vincent Simon living in her home.
Simon, a man who has been convicted on guns, drugs and theft charges, refused to leave the house.
The unfortunate discovery was made as Daure’s real estate agent began making preparations for the sale of the Holly Hill Parkway home.
“I felt violated. Had I not been serving my country, I would have been in my home,” Daure said.
The active-duty officer was told by police they could not evict Simon and that the issue is considered a “civil matter.”
“I want to go shoot out the windows, turn off the water, cut wires, but I can’t. That’s a crime. Law-abiding citizens can’t do that,” she said.
The 4,300-square-foot sprawling home-turned-squat boasts five bedrooms and five baths.
Before listing the home, Daure had been renting it out. She spent roughly $35,000 on renovations.