Texas homeowners who finally evicted squatter 'treated like criminals'

After yet evicting a contractor-turned-squatter from their caller home, a brace of Texas homeowners said that rule enforcement made them consciousness for illustration wrongdoers passim their two-month ordeal.

Yudith Matthews and Abram Mendez, who bought nan San Antonio location to accommodate their increasing family, said they are "relieved" that nan contractor has yet cleared retired nan past of his things. On Wednesday night, their family sewage together to unafraid and committee up their caller location to guarantee nan squatter — aliases different imaginable intruders — didn't sneak backmost inside. 

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Navy seasoned Abram Mendez and his woman Yudith Matthews said they planned to move into their larger location successful San Antonio, Texas, connected Easter. That timeline was vastly skewed by their long-fought conflict pinch a contractor-turned-squatter.  (Yudith Matthews)

Other than "unloading immoderate materials," Matthews and Mendez told Fox News Digital nan handyman ne'er completed immoderate of nan activity he was hired to do. 

The joined mates said they person incurred astir $17,000 successful damages, utilities and tribunal fees, clearing retired nan "last existent dollars" successful their account. The squatter allegedly destroyed caller plumbing activity successful their garage, barbecued wrong pinch a propane tank, sprayed mahogany cabinets pinch a bleach mixture, smoked and urinated indoors and collapsed doors and molding passim nan location to facilitate his ineligible introduction and exit. 

The mates said they fell successful emotion pinch nan seven-bedroom, three-bathroom location successful a serene vicinity and purchased it successful November. They couldn't wrap their heads astir why personification would "destroy it" needlessly.

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Matthews and Mendez said their squatter collapsed aggregate doors and windows successful nan location truthful that he could proceed to participate and exit nan property.  (Yudith Matthews)

"Out of spite? To personification you don't moreover know? Are you taking nan world's anger retired connected 1 person? [Is it] because they don't request to pay? They conscionable locomotion distant and they are not responsible," Matthews said.

Allegedly, their squatter bought a blender to time off moving passim nan time during his unwanted enactment and intentionally turned disconnected their caller freezer, letting nutrient and surgery eggs spoil inside. Matthews and Mendez were ordered to reconstruct energy and h2o to nan location and salary fines after, they claim, nan squatter and his female accomplice stole h2o and electricity. 

Even obtaining a writ of possession — a general archive that a spot proprietor posts connected their doorway to pass a tenant aliases squatter that they must time off successful 24 hours aliases beryllium removed by unit by constabulary — costs an further $300. 

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The squatter shined high-powered flashlights into nan homeowners' eyes, menaced them pinch bleach and moreover flashed a weapon during their repeated standoffs.  (Yudith Matthews)

"All they attraction astir is bail money, each they attraction astir is enslaved money, each they attraction astir is fees — they were ‘feeing’ america to death," Mendez, a begetter of three, told Fox News Digital. "As agelong arsenic nan squatter is disconnected nan thoroughfare and successful someone's home, that's going to make gross — lawyer's fees, different things that will stimulate nan section economy. But it's each footed by a taxpaying homeowner who's worked hard, who has small income aliases immoderate equity wherever nan champion lawsuit is to flip it."

If nan contractor had paid a interest and appealed nan judge's decision, they said, their ordeal could person persisted past this week. But by a "stroke of luck," they said, he was precocious to a Tuesday tribunal proceeding and narrowly missed nan window.

The contractor, a man successful his forties who nan mates said has gout, had asked to enactment connected a sofa wrong nan house. When they realized he had amassed an alarming number of possessions inside, they called nan San Antonio Police Department. 

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The mates and their families supervised while nan squatter yet loaded his things into moving vans — including 4 guitars he'd installed typical mounts for wrong nan location — and moved his car and motorcycle disconnected nan property. (Yudith Matthews)

He had not stayed successful nan location for nan requisite 30 days to beryllium considered a squatter nether Texas spot rule erstwhile constabulary were first called to nan spot connected Feb. 29, but nan mates declare officers made nary efforts to verify his opposing account, aliases moreover cheque his identification. 

"[The squatter] said, 'No, I unrecorded here' and nan constabulary said correct away, 'You're nan resident, you person nan correct to unrecorded here,'" Mendez recalled. "The constabulary came truthful galore times, we person him red-handed, we mightiness person him connected video, but constabulary conscionable locomotion distant and opportunity it's a civilian matter."

Matthews and Mendez said they fell successful emotion pinch nan seven-bedroom, three-bathroom home. The quiet neighborhood, adjacent watercourse and ample gait made nan spot a awesome spot to raise their children, ages 11, 10 and 8.  (Yudith Matthews)

"That's a bull out," Mendez said. "Police are entitling these group to a correct they're not entitled to… they don't rather attraction because they cognize nan lieutenant is going to screen them, they don't want to constitute a report."

The mates said they person revenge complaints pinch nan San Antonio Police Department aft 1 brushwood wherever an serviceman allegedly raised his voice, saying that he "didn't person clip to woody pinch this."

"You consciousness truthful disappointed, you don't moreover fuss calling nan constabulary erstwhile they dainty you for illustration you are a criminal," Matthews said.

Previously, footage of nan mates confronting their squatter arsenic he entered nan location done a propped model was aired connected "FOX & Friends." After that encounter, nan mates were prohibited from entering nan home. 

Pictured is simply a crude propane cooking setup nan squatter utilized wrong nan Texas couple's home. (Yudith Matthews)

From that constituent on, nan ineligible process and surveying nan spot became a full-time job.

"He decided to support breaking nan windows, breaking nan expanse rock, destroying nan appliances that we person successful location — who is going to beryllium responsible for that?" Matthews asked. (Yudith Matthews)

"How do families wherever mom and dada person to activity — what a nightmare," Matthews remarked. "Imagine a family who are moving 9-5 by themselves pinch zero support, dealing pinch this type of thing."

In 1 of dozens of visits San Antonio constabulary made to nan property, per records provided by nan department, nan mates claimed nan squatter flashed a weapon astatine them. Matthews and Mendez opportunity arriving constabulary "kicked nan weapon into a corner" and "told him he had a right" to nan limb arsenic a tenant successful nan house. 

Pictured are dishes near successful nan descend by nan squatter aft he packed up his things and near this week.  (Yudith Matthews)

Matthews claims he shined high-wattage flashlights successful her look and moreover threatened to spray her pinch bleach successful 1 of their galore clashes. 

"We are fighting, risking our lives because we don't get protection from nan police, nan government, anyone," she told Fox News Digital. "We saved up capable money, we're successful our mid-forties, we're focusing connected our location and now personification is stealing hard-earned decades of money from america for their laziness. That's it, they're lazy."

"We saved up capable money, we're successful our mid-forties, we're focusing connected our location and now personification is stealing hard-earned decades of money from america for their laziness."

After nary little than 4 tribunal appearances and paying a $300 fee, nan mates were yet capable to station an eviction announcement connected their home's door. (Yudith Matthews)

Officer Ricardo Guzman of nan SAPD told Fox News Digital that rule enforcement's "hands are tied" successful these situations.

"A large point astir these squatting things, nan difficult portion connected america is nan squatter's rights. Once they move successful and they person property, moreover if it's an abandoned building, that's their property," he told Fox News Digital. "There are laws preventing america from grabbing their spot and throwing them out. That's wherever it becomes a civilian matter, nan proprietor will person to spell done nan eviction process."

The unwelcome impermanent utilized boards and nails to permanently prop unfastened respective windows of nan home, which he would usage to participate and exit. (Yudith Matthews)

Although nan worst is complete for nan couple, they are still successful nan process of obtaining a restraining bid against their squatter and inventorying harm and stolen items, they said.

"The rule did not activity for us," Mendez said. "It yet worked for america — but aft a period of what bills, what losses. [Now] that's much elbow grease, much sanding, much coating — clip eaten up by a squatter who has thing to suffer because nan constabulary entitled him by saying, ‘You person a correct to enactment there.’"

Debris near down by a squatter is pictured successful Yudith Matthews and Abram Mendez's home. The mates said nan contractor installed an other doorway successful their surviving room — and brought it pinch him erstwhile he near nan premises this week. (Yudith Matthews)

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Fox News Digital could not scope nan squatter, aliases an lawyer who had represented him successful erstwhile criminal tribunal cases, for comment.