An Army officer has shared her distressing account of discovering a squatter occupying her $500,000 home while she was fulfilling her duties.
Lieutenant Colonel Dahlia Daure, who is on the verge of retiring, expressed her plans for the future, saying, "I thought that I would sell the house and go hang with my grandkids."
However, before she could embark on her retirement plans, an unexpected obstacle stood in her way - someone else's belongings filling her home.
Lt. Colonel Daure came across the squatter Vincent Simon after she had been away for work and was appalled to learn that he had moved into her residence just as the house was being prepared for sale.
Feeling violated, she expressed her frustration with the response from the police, who deemed the matter a "civil issue" and initially informed her they could not intervene.
Expressing her anger, Lt. Colonel Daure said, "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."
The situation came to Lt. Colonel Daure's attention through her real estate agent, who was finalising the preparations for the sale of her home in Holly Hill Parkway, Atlanta, US, while she was on duty with the Army in Chicago.
The property, a spacious 4,300 square-foot estate with five beds and five baths, is valued around $495,000 according to Zillow.
Prior to listing the home, Lt. Colonel Daure had been renting it out and had invested approximately $35,000 in renovations. However, shortly after receiving a cash offer and having the house under contract, Mr Simon allegedly unlawfully occupied the premises.
Lt. Colonel Daure's even claims she witnessed him moving large safes into the house.
Mr Simon had reportedly claimed that he has a lease for the property and paid $19,000 for a six-month term.
Lt. Colonel Daure promptly discovered that the phone number provided on the lease did not exist, raising doubts about the validity of his claim.
When WSB-TV visited the Holly Hill Parkway home, they discovered makeshift "beware of dogs" signs made from cardboard covering some of the windows, adding to the unsettling atmosphere.
Lt. Colonel Daure took legal action by serving Mr Simon with eviction papers, but he had the right to respond and present his case in front of a judge.
Thankfully, yesterday, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Uniform Unit with the DeKalb Marshals told local media they had served an Intruder Affidavit on Mr Simon.
It required him to immediately vacate the home and accused him of illegally occupying it.
However, a weapon was then found inside the home and Mr Simon was found to be in possession of drugs before he left, and was arrested.
He was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted Felon and Possession of a Controlled Substance, and taken into custody.
Lt. Colonel Daure told Atlanta News First the eviction was a relief but she had to see it for herself.
She said: “I had to be here, I was not going to take this lying down. People need to know that they have rights, homeowners have rights.”
Labeling Mr Simon as a squatter, Lt. Colonel Daure expressed her frustration with the initial stages of the eviction process, feeling that justice was not being served.
"I can't ask them to leave. I can't put them out. The police can't put them out. What justice is that?" she said.
Before Lt. Colonel Daure managed to get police to serve thge Intruder Affidavit, Mr Simon had the right to respond in court to the eviction papers, served initially by DeKalb County police, accompanied by an official private process server.
He could have requested a trial, which had threatened to prolong the eviction process, which could have taken weeks or even months to resolve.
