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    Squatters return to Georgia House candidate Mel Keyton’s $450K home after arrest: ‘Worst criminal activity I’ve ever seen’

    By Fox News,

    27 days ago

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3ZrSto_0sqdhjPK00

    Georgia State House candidate Mel Keyton says he’s in the middle of an ongoing chaotic saga as squatters took over his $450K Atlanta-area home , even coming back after being arrested and bonding out of jail.

    “This is the worst criminal activity I’ve ever seen in my life,” he told “Fox & Friends First” on Monday.

    The squatters’ latest offense came as recently as earlier that morning when they broke into the house shortly after 1 a.m.

    The six offenders had already been located and arrested after police noticed a neighbor’s stolen car parked in front of the home.

    Six squatters take over suburban Georgia home, then help themselves to vacationing neighbor’s car: cops

    Two received felony charges and the remaining four were charged with trespassing.

    Following their release, the fight continues.

    “We have to get the police back involved, the city of South Fulton back involved, and we’ll go through the same process again because they are trespassing. They are already aware that the property is supposed to be vacant,” said Keyton, who is also president of the Hampton Oaks Homeowners Association.

    He insists the law is on the squatters’ side as co-host Todd Piro noted the alleged trespassers have remained in the home since before Christmas.

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    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3jsJqH_0sqdhjPK00
    Georgia State House candidate Mel Keyton slammed his ongoing squatter problem as “the worst criminal activity I’ve ever seen in my life.” FOX NEWS
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4Rz6HY_0sqdhjPK00
    Six offenders were arrested after allegedly squatting in the Georgia home. FOX 5 Atlanta

    “They were just using the legal system to stay in the house,” Keyton added.

    Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp recently signed the Georgia Squatter Reform Act into law, enabling property owners to go after squatters for damages, in addition to speeding up the eviction process.

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    Fox News’ Ainsley Earhardt, reporting on the act last month, said it would make squatting a misdemeanor criminal defense, punishable by a year in jail.

    She also noted that squatters could face a $1,000 fine, sometimes in addition to possible jail time—and if they forge a fake lease, they could be charged with a felony.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2zyugw_0sqdhjPK00
    Two received felony charges and the remaining four were charged with trespassing. FOX 5 Atlanta
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1vnrdN_0sqdhjPK00
    The group who allegedly squatted at the $450,000 home was later released. FOX 5 Atlanta

    Prior to Kemp’s signature, squatting was a civil matter in Georgia.

    The problem rose to an epidemic in the Peach State, with Bloomberg reporting earlier this year that over 1,200 metro Atlanta homes had been taken over by squatters.

    For top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com.

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