Lt. Colonel Dahlia Daure, an active duty officer in the US Army, cannot sell her Atlanta-area home due to a squatter taking over. Daure is currently serving on deployment with the U.S. Army Reserves in Chicago. As a result, she cannot be close to her Ellenwood, Georgia residence.
For a while, Daure rented her property out. Then she decided to have a $30,000 renovation done to the property to prepare it for sale. Her real estate agent secured a buyer but could not seal the deal due to the discovery of a squatter. This person was not the renter that Daure previously had at the property. She says she has never met this man before. However, he was able to produce a lease document saying he had paid $19,000 upfront in cash.
The squatter in question is a man named Vincent Denard Simon. He has an extensive criminal history. He had moved a ton of items into the property, including 90-inch television screens still in the boxes. The law prevents Daure from simply removing the squatter from her home. She must go through an official eviction process which could take months, although she never actually gave him a lease or received any money from him.
SOURCES:
Army officer says squatter moved into her DeKalb home while she was on duty, now she can’t evict him – YouTube
US Army officer on active duty says squatter has moved into her Atlanta home | Daily Mail Online
Georgia man accused of squatting in deployed military officer’s home | Fox News
Alleged squatter vacates military officer’s home
