- 16 hours ago
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PeopleTranscript
00:07I'm your squatter, and I have a lease for the property to move in here.
00:11This is my team right here.
00:13We're taking over this house.
00:14Get out of here!
00:15We are now officially roommates.
00:17Just get the f*** out of this house.
00:19Hold on.
00:19No, no, no, no.
00:20What you don't fail to realize is you can do that if you want to, but your ass is going
00:23to go to jail.
00:24Be smart.
00:24Don't be a fool.
00:25Get out of my f***ing house now!
00:28I'm Flash Shelton.
00:29In 2019, squatters took over my mom's home.
00:32The sheriff couldn't get them out, so I did.
00:36Turns out, my family is not alone.
00:39Across America, thousands of homeowners get locked out when a squatter moves in.
00:43Now my team and I, we're coming in, travel across the country, confronting these squatters
00:48Leave me the f*** alone!
00:49face to face.
00:50We're not going anywhere.
00:52To help families get their homes back.
00:53Yo, back the f*** up out of my face, dog.
00:55Get out of my house!
01:04I'm in Vancouver, Washington, where an epidemic of squatting has drained homeowners of their
01:09life savings and delayed their dreams.
01:13Hi.
01:14Hi, Paul.
01:15Welcome.
01:16Yes, thank you.
01:16Nice to meet you.
01:17Nice to meet you.
01:18I understand you have a situation.
01:20We have a bit of a situation on our hands.
01:22Do you want to just go into your story and tell us about it?
01:25Yeah, so, um, my wife and I bought a house for my wife's parents so that they could have
01:31a place as they get older and to be really close to their grandkids.
01:34And it was going to be a few months before they moved in.
01:37And we met this nice woman.
01:39She had some kids.
01:39She had a place to stay for six months.
01:42And a house sit?
01:43Just house sit.
01:43I thought we were doing her a favor.
01:44She was helping us out.
01:46And then she just didn't leave.
01:48Um, do you have any pictures of this person?
01:51This is her.
01:52Okay.
01:53Did you do any screening on her?
01:55Yeah, we did a background check.
01:56Everything seemed to come out fine.
01:58You know, we don't even know that you did a background check on the right person.
02:02Squatters often give out fake names.
02:04We'll have Michael run her information and see what we can find out.
02:08What did you like about her?
02:09Why did you choose her?
02:11You know, she's a mom, kids.
02:12Okay.
02:13You know, we have a few little kids, too.
02:14So, trying to help a single mom get back on her feet.
02:17So, do you know how many kids?
02:20Never seen the kids.
02:21Okay.
02:21That should have been alarming right there.
02:23I'm not saying she doesn't have them, but it's been so weird.
02:26Even though you haven't seen them, we're very careful.
02:28So, we will go into this cautiously.
02:31It's odd that no one's seen the squatter's kids.
02:34But I always take special care when I think children may be involved.
02:37Every move will be made with their safety in mind.
02:39What kind of agreement do you have with her?
02:42So, our agreement was to wash the house for six months.
02:45It's the gap that we needed to get the grandparents to town and coordinate everything.
02:49And it wasn't the least.
02:50When we came up to the end of the six months, she was really difficult.
02:54She wouldn't come to the doors.
02:55She wouldn't call us back.
02:55She wouldn't text back.
02:56She changed the locks.
02:57That's when you realize that this is not... she's doing some funny stuff.
03:02Yeah.
03:03Was she aware that the grandparents are gonna move in, like, at the six-month mark?
03:07Yeah, they're moving all the way from across the country.
03:09And we had to coordinate a lot of things to make it work.
03:11So, she's very aware that she's, you know, hurting your family.
03:16Yeah.
03:16That we're getting a straightforward person, honest, trustworthy.
03:20This whole thing's turned into a nightmare.
03:22You know, we have grandparents in an RV trying to figure out what they're gonna do.
03:25When we went to the police and, you know, we talked to the different local authorities,
03:29they said there was nothing they could do.
03:31And the more we researched it, the more we found out that there's a lot of resources for squatters,
03:36but really none for the homeowners.
03:38When's the last interaction you had with her?
03:41She called and said that, um, there was a snake under the garbage can.
03:46Okay.
03:46We've never had any pests or anything in the house.
03:50It's a very clean, very nice house when we had her show up.
03:53Was there a snake?
03:55No.
03:56Okay.
03:56No.
03:57It sent someone out to take a look at it.
03:58There's no snake.
03:59Okay.
04:00Um, Washington is very clear about their rights being more than yours,
04:05so I want to assume those rights as well.
04:07A renovation lease allows me to do construction on the home,
04:11and that makes it very uncomfortable for a squatter.
04:13So are you okay with giving me a lease?
04:15No.
04:15I think you'll be a better tenant.
04:17Okay.
04:17So I just need you to sit back and let us take over.
04:20This is really unfair.
04:21We put a lot of time and effort into this house,
04:23and we had a big vision, a grand plan to have the family together.
04:26It's really important to us.
04:28And she messed it all up.
04:34Joel, let's get this drone up.
04:35Oh!
04:37We're just a couple blocks from the house.
04:41We should be able to get a good view.
04:43Let's go to the Long Winds.
04:45I'm gonna make sure our squatter doesn't see us.
04:47Sally the squatter told Paul and Sarah that she had kids,
04:50so we're gonna scope around the house
04:51and see if there's any evidence of children.
05:02Yeah, there we go, down that street.
05:04There's our house, so the one vehicle.
05:07Can you give me a backside view?
05:09Sure.
05:12I'm not seeing any sign of any pits on the property.
05:15The property's clean.
05:16Mm-hmm.
05:16Did you see any kid stuff?
05:18No, I didn't.
05:19When you have kids, trust me, it's stuff everywhere.
05:22At least a shoe, a bike.
05:24There's nothing.
05:25She's changed the locks,
05:27so we're gonna have to come up with a way to get in the house.
05:30Then we could just knock on the door, right?
05:31Well, we are gonna knock on the door.
05:33We're gonna go in and change smoke detectors,
05:35doing the necessary maintenance repairs according to the law.
05:39Typically, squatters will be standoffish
05:41and they'll not allow maintenance in,
05:43but I find that bringing up smoke detectors,
05:46I can get them to realize it's better than dying in a fire in their sleep.
05:51All right, so I'm gonna drop a notice to enter today on the door.
06:01All right.
06:05With my lease, I have the right to enter this house,
06:08but because children might be inside,
06:10I'm going to be extra cautious and post an inspection notice on the door.
06:17Oh, someone's opening the door.
06:19Oh.
06:20Is that her?
06:39It's crazy.
06:40She's wanting to check my light, like, as if that's really her house.
06:43She's not even looking around her shoulder or nothing.
06:45Well, good.
06:46She's not expecting anything.
06:48She never took the notice off.
06:50It's, like, their way of not acknowledging it.
06:52All right, so let's bring that bird down.
06:57Hey, Mike, how you doing?
06:59Hey, guys, I'm good. How you doing?
07:01So I had asked you about Sally Jeffress.
07:04What do you got on her?
07:05I ran the name you sent me.
07:07Her full name is Sally Barton Jeffress,
07:09also known as Sally Barton Jeffries.
07:12It looks like she's moved around a lot,
07:14six different addresses in the last five years.
07:16Okay.
07:17She could be a serial squatter.
07:19Are there any children?
07:20I looked all over, but I couldn't find anything
07:23that points to Sally having any children.
07:26Nothing pointing to any children?
07:28I'm confused.
07:29That's the whole reason to stay in the house.
07:31Why would you lie and say you have kids?
07:33Why don't you lie and say you have nieces or nephews or something?
07:35Like, make the lie believable.
07:36We're talking about con artists.
07:38We're talking about people that they just figure out,
07:40oh, this might work.
07:42Let's use it.
07:43That doesn't mean she doesn't have any.
07:45We still need to enter it cautiously as if there's children there.
07:49Hey, Mike, thank you so much.
07:53The kid factor always concerns me.
07:56Yeah.
07:56Usually do everything I can to avoid putting children in the middle,
08:01because the last thing, you know, I want to do is have innocent children
08:06in the middle of a situation like this that their parents caused, you know?
08:11I'm pretty sure she doesn't have kids, but we need to be certain.
08:14All right.
08:15Let's get ready to go test some smoke detectors.
08:29All right, let's get our stuff.
08:31Okay.
08:31Let's do it.
08:43Stay alert, Cam.
08:46And keep an eye on these windows.
09:01Hello.
09:10My name's Flash.
09:11I have a renovation agreement, and I'm here to do some maintenance.
09:14I didn't need to call for the patient.
09:16Well, yeah, we put a notice on the door here.
09:18Just got to change some smoke detectors.
09:21If you open the door, I can hear you, and I can show you the notice.
09:26All right.
09:27I just need to check the smoke detectors.
09:29Is there something wrong with the ones that are in here?
09:31Yes.
09:32So, like, we'll check batteries.
09:33We'll push buttons.
09:34And then if there's any that are more than five years old, I have to put up new ones.
09:37Everything I'm telling her is true.
09:39I've actually been a handyman and contractor for many years.
09:42And we'll do maintenance on these smoke detectors.
09:44Does it take two of you to do this?
09:46No.
09:47I mean, would, you know, would you be more comfortable if it's just me?
09:50Yes.
09:51I can do that for you.
09:52Okay.
09:53All right.
09:53I'll just hang tight, Flash.
09:55All right.
09:56Sorry to bother you.
09:57I'm going to go ahead and get an assessment of all of them.
09:59Okay.
10:00And then that way I know how many I need to replace, okay?
10:02Okay.
10:03And then I just need to take some pictures, let them know that I did it.
10:06Okay.
10:07So, is there one in the kitchen?
10:09Yeah.
10:10Let me check that one first.
10:12All right.
10:13Let's see if we can get it to beep.
10:15Okay.
10:16So, that one's not working.
10:17If you had a fire in the kitchen, that wouldn't have been good.
10:20Go to the next one.
10:24All right.
10:25Let me check the bedroom.
10:28All right.
10:28Wow.
10:29Okay.
10:32Ah, see, that one's working.
10:33That one's working.
10:35Just you here?
10:36Yeah.
10:38Okay.
10:38Kids live here with you?
10:40I don't know.
10:41No?
10:42No.
10:45Almost looks like you just moved in.
10:47Yeah.
10:47Well, I've been here, like, nine months, so...
10:49Oh, wow.
10:50All right.
10:51You're great.
10:52Okay.
10:53There is definitely no sign of kids.
10:55Come on in.
10:56Hey.
11:00Hey, Sally, can you come out here a second?
11:01I want to show you something.
11:04I have a lease for the property to move in here.
11:07Come on.
11:07Come on.
11:08This is my team right here.
11:09No, I just...
11:09We're taking over this house.
11:11You can't do this.
11:11This is my house.
11:13I understand you're upset.
11:14Let's get out.
11:15Get out.
11:15Okay, hold on.
11:16Hold on.
11:33No, no, no, no.
11:36I like...
11:36What y'all fellas realize is you can do that if you want to,
11:39but your ass is gonna go to jail.
11:40Be smart.
11:41Don't be a fool.
11:42Don't be a fool.
11:43Get out of my house now.
11:44No!
11:45No!
11:45No!
11:45No!
11:46No!
11:46Ma'am, we can have a peaceful conversation, but you are gonna dictate the tone of this conversation.
11:51If you want to listen to reason and you want to talk, we can talk.
11:54You know, I need to get out.
11:55I need to get out of here.
11:56We are going to...
11:57You know, you're just saying that you got in.
11:59I don't even want, you know, just leave me the f*** alone.
12:04Wow.
12:05All right, that was expected.
12:08She's shocked.
12:09She needs a moment.
12:10So we're gonna give her that.
12:11She's in her room.
12:12We're gonna...
12:12Smoke detector.
12:13You left my room too.
12:14Oh, thank you.
12:15I can return that.
12:18You okay?
12:19I'm okay.
12:20Okay.
12:21If she would've hit you, they wouldn't have been able to hold me back.
12:24Period.
12:25I expect them to go crazy.
12:26We're gonna...
12:27Period, people.
12:28I want you to hear me.
12:29I want it to be clear.
12:30I'm not whispering.
12:31I'm not hiding anything.
12:33I'm not over here trying to be behind your back.
12:35I say everything clear and direct.
12:38She's hoping that we do something that she can have us arrested and removed.
12:43Mm-hmm.
12:43That's why we have to remember to keep our cool.
12:45Let's make sure there's no other people.
12:47I want to check bedrooms, closets, everywhere.
12:52Sally just kind of lost it.
12:54She is absolutely beyond herself upset.
12:57A weapon basically was drawn.
12:59So my team has to stay 100% focused or somebody gets hurt.
13:06Closets, rooms are all clear?
13:07They're empty.
13:08Clear.
13:08Okay.
13:09Awesome.
13:09Right now, my job is to make her uncomfortable and feel that she needs to go elsewhere.
13:14Just like squatters, once we take over, we cannot leave the house.
13:21Cam, can you get me a camera up in that corner right up there?
13:24Just kind of looking diagonal this way.
13:27Even right there, we see the whole room.
13:30These cameras are going to take any privacy away from the main area.
13:33Cameras are at least getting everything now.
13:36Well, hello.
13:36Oh.
13:37Hey, did you come out to join us?
13:39All right, Cam, don't touch her.
13:45All right, so now you've just destructed my property.
13:50She's ripped it down.
13:51We're getting to her.
13:52She's feeling a little bit out of control.
13:56Let's get started on our next step, building our reptile enclosure.
13:59You got that?
14:01Yeah.
14:01The owner told me that there was an incident involving a snake.
14:05So I have a little surprise for her.
14:07We're going to build a snake terrarium in the living room.
14:10We want to show her that we control the space.
14:13So we're blocking this off.
14:15Right now, she's going to have access to her bedroom, the bathroom, and the exit.
14:19OK.
14:20So if she runs outside, all I got to do is close the door.
14:31What the ?
14:31Oh, hi.
14:33We're doing some renovations in here.
14:35I just wanted the opportunity to show you how things are going to be different.
14:38All right.
14:39What the is all this plastic about?
14:42They agree to all of this .
14:43As you can see, I'm maintaining your access to the door.
14:48All right.
14:49Sally.
14:50Sally.
14:50Sally.
14:51I'll tell you what.
14:52I'll tell you what.
14:52Hold on.
14:53Hold on.
14:53Hold on.
14:53Don't touch my things.
14:55This isn't going to get you anywhere.
14:56It's only going to get worse.
14:58If you need help, you can talk to me.
15:02Until then, we're going to continue.
15:11Good morning, Sally.
15:13We have a wonderful day planned.
15:15I just wanted to, you know.
15:16Just shut the up.
15:18Just leave me the alone.
15:20Wearing it down, y'all.
15:21Wearing it down.
15:22So we've got a reptile habitat lady coming.
15:26We're going to talk to her about using this home as a reptile sanctuary.
15:33Oh, hello.
15:35Hey.
15:36Based on what Paul told me, I had a hunch that maybe Sally didn't like snakes.
15:41So I brought in a reptile specialist.
15:44Doing a little bit of construction here, getting ready for you.
15:46I'm trying to freak her out that I'm going to be living in this house with snakes roaming
15:51free.
15:52Do we need to have an enclosure or can they just have free run of the house?
15:55Are there going to be other pets in the home?
15:57Dogs?
15:57Cats?
15:58No.
15:59Okay.
16:00So this is Gemma.
16:01Wow.
16:02She is beautiful.
16:04And so when you're going to grab a snake, you always want to go from underneath them.
16:08Okay.
16:08If we go from over, we can simulate a predator like a bird.
16:14Get it out!
16:15Get out!
16:17Get the out!
16:20Get the out!
16:24Get out!
16:26Get the out!
16:29Well, thank you so much.
16:31From the look in her eyes, man, she's terrified.
16:34She's not a big fan of snakes.
16:35She's sitting in that room thinking about where she's going to be going tomorrow.
16:45All right.
16:46Got it?
16:46Got it.
16:47Okay.
16:47All right, thank you.
16:50These people, they actually brought a snake into the house.
17:03I don't know who she's talking to, but she's explaining, I guess, the scenario.
17:08Everything.
17:08I think Sally is in a very vulnerable place right now.
17:11I've been playing bad cop.
17:13I think it's time for me to send justice in to be good cop.
17:17Um, so I need you to maybe have a conversation with her.
17:21Mm-hmm.
17:22Maybe you can just go up just kind of hearted, just be like, you know, hey, this doesn't
17:26have to be like this.
17:27Just try to have empathy, you know?
17:30Life doesn't have to be this difficult, but we want her to leave.
17:36Can we have a heart to heart?
17:39The point of all this is to get you to understand that, you know, the severity of the situation,
17:44you know?
17:48You guys made my life a living hell.
17:51I just want you guys to leave.
17:53Yeah, but that's not possible because you are the squatter.
17:56We'll go the distance to get people out of a house.
17:59Where am I supposed to go?
18:01There's got to be somebody, friends, family.
18:03If you need help, assistance, you know what I'm saying?
18:06That's what we're here for.
18:07We're more than willing to.
18:08But the key thing is, you have to get out of this house.
18:16Okay.
18:17All right.
18:18I just have had enough.
18:19Just give me a couple hours.
18:21Can I get that in writing?
18:23Yeah, I can sign something.
18:25Okay.
18:25Then I'll bring it to you, okay?
18:27Okay.
18:31I think she's really just tired of everything.
18:34And when you're tired, you just tend to, like, just, you know, you give up.
18:37So here you go.
18:40Do you need help with your back?
18:41Do you need help with your bags?
18:41I want to do it all on my own.
18:43Okay.
18:44Understood.
18:45This was about Sally being stubborn.
18:48She knew the deal, but she took this house and kept it, knowing that she was hurting another family.
19:00Hey, Sally.
19:02You about ready?
19:04Hmm.
19:09I think Sally was at the end of her rope, and she moved out rather quickly.
19:13You know, we're just going to wave her off.
19:15All right.
19:16Good luck to you.
19:19Time to do our princess wave.
19:23She took this house and kept it hostage and kept from an elderly couple being able to move in to
19:29be close to their grandchildren.
19:31Bye.
19:32All right.
19:32Hope we don't see you at another place.
19:35Don't come back now, you hear?
19:37Perfect.
19:38Now, they have a home to come to.
19:44Hey, Paul.
19:46How's it going?
19:47Good, good.
19:47The last time we met, you were stressed out.
19:50Yeah.
19:51And today, I have the privilege of welcoming you back to your home.
19:54Really?
19:55Yeah.
19:55She's gone.
19:56She's gone.
19:57And I want to be the first to open the door for you.
20:01Welcome you in.
20:02Wow.
20:03Looking great.
20:03Better than I thought it would.
20:04Yeah.
20:05I don't see any physical damage.
20:07No.
20:08Just needs to be cleaned up.
20:09Yeah.
20:10I was worried it was going to be trashed.
20:12We've been waiting a really long time for this.
20:14It's been a total ordeal.
20:16This lady put us through hell.
20:17There was never any sign of children.
20:20Really?
20:20No kids?
20:21No kids.
20:22What a relief.
20:25Paul was living a nightmare.
20:27And, you know, we were able to go in and give the squatter the nightmare.
20:32This was a good day.
20:33The grandparents are going to be really stoked.
20:36Having family nearby means everything.
20:39Yeah.
20:39So, this is huge.
20:40Just really grateful.
20:42Thank you so much.
20:43It's pretty amazing that we have the house back and for the grandparents just to be able
20:47to hang out with the kids, read them stories, be right around the corner.
20:51It's just, it's what it's all about.
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