'Everyone else knows they're doing something wrong'
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ARLINGTON, Wash. -- Homeowners were already fed-up, but now they are even more frustrated.
After KOMO News reported on the homeowners' fight against thieves and squatters, they ran into more trouble on Monday.
Jon Storms says he and his neighbors spotted two suspected squatters coming out of a vacant house after dark.
"I grabbed the guy and threw him into the car, and he pretended like, 'I don't know what you're talking about,"' Storm said. "Bull."
Storms found a deadbolt lock on the property and believes someone switched it out to get in.
"We really are frustrated by this," said Arlington spokesperson Kristen Banfield. "This is a difficult problem to address, because they move from one community to another."
The vacant home is just one of several empty houses in the neighborhood. Quillan Renee Ely lives next to one where two men were living.
"I gave them cookies. Then a couple days after that, the police were here and said they weren't supposed to be living here," Ely said.
The owner of the vacant home says he did not give anyone permission to live in the house. He believes the squatters have left behind stolen electronics. The neighborhood saw a number of thefts over the summer.
"(Thieves) took a big knife out that I had for protection. They took a radio," said Ely. "There are thieves that are rummaging through the neighborhood,"
The neighborhood is fighting to take its security back. It was once a place where people felt safe leaving their doors unlocked. But now neighbors say they were forced to thin out the woods behind their homes to expose the homeless people they say are living back there.
"The legalities of it is what's frustrating," said Storm. "Because the cops know they're doing something wrong. Everyone else knows they're doing something wrong."
Police say there is one positive note -- neighbors say they're getting to know each other better, and banding together against crime.
After KOMO News reported on the homeowners' fight against thieves and squatters, they ran into more trouble on Monday.
Jon Storms says he and his neighbors spotted two suspected squatters coming out of a vacant house after dark.
"I grabbed the guy and threw him into the car, and he pretended like, 'I don't know what you're talking about,"' Storm said. "Bull."
Storms found a deadbolt lock on the property and believes someone switched it out to get in.
"We really are frustrated by this," said Arlington spokesperson Kristen Banfield. "This is a difficult problem to address, because they move from one community to another."
The vacant home is just one of several empty houses in the neighborhood. Quillan Renee Ely lives next to one where two men were living.
"I gave them cookies. Then a couple days after that, the police were here and said they weren't supposed to be living here," Ely said.
The owner of the vacant home says he did not give anyone permission to live in the house. He believes the squatters have left behind stolen electronics. The neighborhood saw a number of thefts over the summer.
"(Thieves) took a big knife out that I had for protection. They took a radio," said Ely. "There are thieves that are rummaging through the neighborhood,"
The neighborhood is fighting to take its security back. It was once a place where people felt safe leaving their doors unlocked. But now neighbors say they were forced to thin out the woods behind their homes to expose the homeless people they say are living back there.
"The legalities of it is what's frustrating," said Storm. "Because the cops know they're doing something wrong. Everyone else knows they're doing something wrong."
Police say there is one positive note -- neighbors say they're getting to know each other better, and banding together against crime.
there is a difference between a squatter and the homeless. the homeless are honest people who are down on their luck. a squatter is a criminal stealing other peoples property and wrecking it and stealing utilities that we all have to pay for. 1000's of homeless live at a friends or in their vehicle and try their best to get back on their feet.
Bottom line squatters, vagrents, gangs are tresspassing they have no business on private property. There are plenty of local missions that will assit them in a clean envirorment. You have to knip this quickly or here is what you have to look forward to gang parties of over 200 in the vacant homes leading to shootings in your neighborhood, homes turned into meth homes bringing drug activity into your neighborhood, significant increases of crime activity lingering in your neighborhood from the folks living in the vacant home. If the home is foreclosed on harrass the bank until the house is fenced and power is shut off, the bank can renforce the doors with steel to prevent reoccuring incidents, if the owner wont comply harrass the city code and compliance they will up the pressure and if the owner does not remedy the problem they will and charge the owner. Dont stop calling these problems grow like a disease out of control, these homes are being posted on fb and spreading like wildfire.  Â
they way i see it ... if people were we as the people of the US had some compassion ... could help some f these people ... some of the squatter as you call them are just people who have lost everything because of the economy .... we send food and money to all these other countries while we have people living in the street and starving needing food ... but we choose to help other countries who don't do a damn thing for us .... this problem belongs to every single person ..... maybe if some would try to lend a helping hand instead of waving a gun ... the homeless would not be desperate and have to turn to crime to live !
 @beagoodneighbor We have food banks, welfare, homeless shelters, various charities, and last resort friends and family to help get you on your feet as well
@beagoodneighbor While I agree with some of what you have said, there is a big difference between those families that are homeless due to the ecomony and the actual people (criminals) who are doing the squatting and robbing. Two completely different groups of people.
 @beagoodneighbor Nice post.
Knowing your neighbors is one of the best ways to keep your neighborhood safe. If you have a vacant home, let some of your neighbors know that its empty and ask them to keep an eye out on it. Report anything suspicious. Be nosy!
"I gave them cookies..."
So nice of you. Maybe you can teach them to roll over, shake, or sit/stay. Remember to reward them for good behavior, and maybe they will start mowing the lawn
@northwestsurfer I think she meant she had given them cookies as a housewarming present not realizing they were squatters.
@Evan Im just being sarcastic
Oh heck no...... squatters have no rights at all!!!  I catch anyone squatting in my neighborhood they are getting tasered, tied up and thrown into the back of my truck, taken out in the woods and left there.... if its one of my properties that are vacant they are going to be taking a dirt nap!!!! Â
This is only going to get worse and worse with all the foreclosures and bankruptcies happening - then the banks sitting on them and not selling them. I know of at least 3 houses that are vacant in my neighborhood.Â
 @The WA Mama We have one across the street from us.  It's been vacant for a long time, finally whoever owns it now (guess it's a bank) came and emptied the house and put a for sale sign.  Thing is, they left the outside a complete mess, overgrown tress, branches, stuff is just everywhere.  I don't know who would ever buy it, especially considering the price isn't even competitive! Â
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People should take over these vacant homes. Might as well use them for something good. Don't want criminals moving in but just talk to them and tell them if stuff starts coming up missing in the neighborhood you'll call the cops on them.
@Blindman you are full of sh--!!
@Blindman OOOO yeah that will scare them.
A man bought some property in my neighborhood and started building his dream home piece by piece. The plan is beautiful! He laid the foundation and started building walls. He had barely saved up the money to start purchasing cupboards and flooring when the squatters moved in and started cooking Meth. Now the home is codemned before it was ever completed and he's stuck with the bill. He refuses to pay for the home to be leveled or cleaned and he cannot legally continue to build his home. Squatters...
Guess some of these small town kinds never heard a program called Neighborhood Watch which seems to work very well in keeping a eye on everyones property and calling local law enforcement on strangers not belonging, just a thought..
 @Windowseat The Gleneagle community seems to have a pretty group of volunteers who keep an eye on things.  Most importantly though if you have property let your neighbors know what's going on but it only becomes effective if people get involved.
@oledawg @Windowseat Someone better check that park off of Hunter Place in Glen eagle kids ran into a homeless guy that was camping there in the woods. Scares the tar out of me with all the little kids playing ther. Yes the police was called but they said it was someone down on there luck .Sorry for them but don't campout by the park and the trails there
@Linda Molitor Just because they are homeless does not make them either criminals or predators.
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Good grief.
 'pretty GOOD group'
hey are not supposed to be in teh house... get the neighborhood gang in and get teh lock drilled and go in...whoever they find grab them by the neck throw them in a van and drop them on teh police station door step... don't bother stopping.... Â
 @Freespeech Want to try in English?
Sounds like the homeowners are on that circle of discovery and it won't be long before something takes root and things start happening. Â Don't give up in frustration, you're in the right. Â This is your home so stand ground. When it comes to your local community and safety I've learned that being proactive yields much more control and influencing than your think. Â I've seen communities slide and come full circle because of neighbors banding together.
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As for Arlington and Granite Falls....what's with these areas? Â Seems to me it started a couple of years after the Mountain Loop Highway closed. Â Now people have been gravitating there to cook their Meth. Â The headlines from these towns seem to be all about run-a-much beatings, slayings and corrupt politics... Â It didn't used to be this way and those foothills are awesome to experience. Â I don't go back there anymore on foot because I don't feel safe and don't pack a weapon. Â Still like to ride through Jordan Road area on the motorcycle though.
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@teahater "run-a-much beatings"?
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Maybe you mean "run amuck"?
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a·muckâÂ
[uh-muhk]
adjective
1. mad with murderous frenzy.
@teahater The more rural & remote the area, the more likely the vermin will be moving in. It's easier to hide when there are no close neighbors keeping an eye out. Now that the neighborhood has realized the infestation is there, it will be moving on (though it will take some time & work by the "good" neighbors to get it to happen.)
Those darn thieves and squatters. Motivated by meth no doubt. Arlington isn't exactly a gem of a city though. So this is not a surprise.
@LeftisBest I hate when a beautiful city like Arlington gets trashed because of a news article. I live in Marysville but shop frequently in downtown Arlington. It is still a small town with great people. They still use manners and than you for coming in even if you don't buy anything. Many areas of Arlington are beautiful and some areas are not so nice. Just like ANY city. Arlington is still affordable with a small town feel. They support kids sports and other programs. Visit the city and you will see what I mean. Park on Olympic and stroll the town. Have lunch, browse the shops and enjoy the peace and quiet. Take a drive east on highway 530 for incredible scenery.
bear traps.  snares. and why not release a pack of wolves over here...oh never mind they shot the predators that would normally find a homeless camp a tasty squealing treat.....sigh. seriously though traps man, its your property right? trip wires lights alarms that blare loud to wake the neighborhood up. gather a posse and patrol in groups of four one group a hour.   i mean come on what did people do in the old west when there were ....enemies in the woods? they circled the wagons and set watch........
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and a word to those folks in that neighborhood, theres quite a few guys and gals back from service could teach you all a thing or two about area security and interdiction tactics........
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barbed wire and tin cans and bells?  sure theres kids and animals, you aint letting the kids out now so wtf.
seriously electric fences, strobes tripwire phosphorus flares and a machine gun nest on mr barbers upper deck.....
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hold on......whats that ma? ok guys i gotta go take my meds brb .
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but seriously vacant houses those owners need to hire a security company and share the bill, the neighborhood needs to have a meeting, or at least all the heads of households, and come up with a plan.   maybe some off duty officers can cruise thru on the way to and from work? call those super hero folks that cruise around and maybe they will come out and walk youre streets for a while you never know.
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all i do know is these people are homeless and thats sad, but if they are thieving and breaking into houses, they need to move on towards the warmer part of the country. winter is coming.
 @Foothills Dweller "vacant houses those owners need to hire a security company and share the bill"
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Thing is the overwhelming number of vacant homes are foreclosures so some out of state bank is the owner. That makes the problem significantly harder to address.
Prize for the best pointless rambling. Please do take your meds. Geez!
 @LeftisBest did you actually read the whole thing? LOL
"walk YOUR streets" man i hate it when i do that.
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Good luck. We have been trying to get a meth house that is next door to us closed up for over a year. Those people are so sneaky and bold.......they know all the laws. We can get nothing done because they are so fast. For some reason, WE have to prove it's a meth house before the police can do anything to the owner who lives there and opens his house to all sorts of vermin. NO FAIR!!!!!Â
@Beau's Mom Starting a fire may be your best approach. While the police cannot search without probable cause and a warrant, the fire department has no such constraints. They will happily (OK, they won't be real happy) condem the place and call the local law enforcement to gather evidence seen while fighting the fire.
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Just don't get caught.
Pretty simple...screw the doors and windows shut while they are cooking a batch...toss in a match and run like heck.
 @Beau's Mom Wait until they're cooking up a batch and toss a match through the window (just make sure to protect your house first)?  I can't imagine having to live next door to that.  You have my sympathies.
Thank you. You have NO idea how awful it is. I have lived in my home for over 30 years. Again.....NO FAIR!
what a sh^t article. the quotes "i gave them cookies" "(thieves) they took a big knife out i has for protection"
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wow
I'm thinking a few metal earthquake tie straps and a big handful of assorted torx/square drive/phillips/hex head/etc. fasteners. Go around to each door and screw a couple straps to the door and the frame/siding, using about 50 screws each. 20 minutes' work and I doubt anyone who doesn't belong there would have the patience to round up all the tools and try to undo all the fasteners without making noise. When it's time to sell it, get out the spackle and pay for a couple of doors, better than a meth cleanup.
Vigilantes that's what we need. What do the old laws say about them. Don't tell me they have expired, they are right in there with the rights to bare arms( because they need a tan) But then again the same laws that allow squatting are probably mixed in with the vigilantes . Times change, so should laws.
All it takes is an armed citizen..........
 @JFR That only works IF you are in imminent danger of your own bodily injury or that of another person in your immediate vicinity. While I might like an open season on burglars and the like it just isn't legal to shoot someone because they are homeless.
Or to prevent the act of a felony offense as well. Besides it's real easy, you entered your home to inspect or whatever, said perp charged you, you felt your life was in danger.Â
If they enter my home without my permission, they will leave it in a body bag. Period. @Furd  @JFR
 @Commenter87643  @slappywag  @Furd  @JFR a vacant home is someone's home. nobody may technically be living there but it's somebody elses property and they're taking/using without permission
 @slappywag  @Furd  @JFR You know, that's sort of the point. These people (although I may be using that term loosely) haven't entered anyone's HOME. They've entered a VACANT HOUSE. So, you can't legally shoot them.
Homeowners that have to fight to keep their neighborhood safe from these criminals who are getting away with what they want. Too sad...especially for these hard working folks who work hard to keep the homes they are in..only now to be subject to criminals invading them.
Humm... Maybe call an exterminator to remove those roaches bothering the neighborhood....
 @Funky-Munky Yeah, where's Ranger & Tank when you need them?
 @Commenter87643  @Funky-Munky Yup, they probably have a few bail jumpers in the mix... lol