Confusion over home's ownership leads to heated confrontation
RENTON, Wash. - Imagine checking on a vacant rental house you own, only to find a family you don't know living there.
It happened this week to a King County man. But the people who were living on his property insist they paid another man they thought was the owner nearly $6,000 to move in.
The house is just off Petrovitsky Road, and on Friday night confusion led to a nasty confrontation.
"Until the police are here you're not coming in my house," Mike Lester said angrily from inside the house. He was yelling at the homeowner's father who had come to change the locks on the doors.
"Get out right now!" Lester continued. "I'm closing the door. This isn't your house!"
Mike and Lia Lester claim that they and another couple rented the house after seeing an ad on the Craigslist web site.
They met a man they thought was the owner of the house and paid him $5,700 in rent and security deposits and he gave them the keys to the home.
Now, they say they've been scammed.
"We paid our rent, we've got receipts, we've got a lease what are we supposed to do," said Mike.
Sean Stewart doesn't know who they paid -- but it wasn't him. Stewart owns the house and he's never met the Lester's.
"I feel sorry for anyone who gets screwed like this," he said. "There's no doubt about that."
The problem is Stewart has other renters moving in next week, so he says the Lesters have to go.
"The law is the law," he said. "You can't live in somebody's house that's not yours. You can't drive a stolen car that's not yours -- that's the law."
King County sheriff's deputies were called to the house after the confrontation on Friday, and they told the Lesters that they'd have to move out on Saturday.
Investigators are also looking into the Lester's claims that they were scammed by an unknown third party. Detectives said it's quite possible they were.
"This is devastating," said Lia Lester. "I don't know what we're going to do."
Stewart said he offered to let the Lester's stay at another one of his rental properties, but that they turned him down.
It happened this week to a King County man. But the people who were living on his property insist they paid another man they thought was the owner nearly $6,000 to move in.
The house is just off Petrovitsky Road, and on Friday night confusion led to a nasty confrontation.
"Until the police are here you're not coming in my house," Mike Lester said angrily from inside the house. He was yelling at the homeowner's father who had come to change the locks on the doors.
"Get out right now!" Lester continued. "I'm closing the door. This isn't your house!"
Mike and Lia Lester claim that they and another couple rented the house after seeing an ad on the Craigslist web site.
They met a man they thought was the owner of the house and paid him $5,700 in rent and security deposits and he gave them the keys to the home.
Now, they say they've been scammed.
"We paid our rent, we've got receipts, we've got a lease what are we supposed to do," said Mike.
Sean Stewart doesn't know who they paid -- but it wasn't him. Stewart owns the house and he's never met the Lester's.
"I feel sorry for anyone who gets screwed like this," he said. "There's no doubt about that."
The problem is Stewart has other renters moving in next week, so he says the Lesters have to go.
"The law is the law," he said. "You can't live in somebody's house that's not yours. You can't drive a stolen car that's not yours -- that's the law."
King County sheriff's deputies were called to the house after the confrontation on Friday, and they told the Lesters that they'd have to move out on Saturday.
Investigators are also looking into the Lester's claims that they were scammed by an unknown third party. Detectives said it's quite possible they were.
"This is devastating," said Lia Lester. "I don't know what we're going to do."
Stewart said he offered to let the Lester's stay at another one of his rental properties, but that they turned him down.