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SQUATTER SPOTTERS: Real estate deal falls through because of squatters

Posted at 6:47 PM, Feb 15, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-15 21:57:29-05

The owner and realtor for a home on Christy Lane near Charleston and Nellis boulevards say they had a buyer lined up, but the deal fell through because of squatters.

The owner says the home has been on the market for months, and despite putting up lock boxes, squatters were able to move in. They even moved in mattresses, clothes, and were burning wood in the fireplace once the electricity was cut off.

Over the weekend, Las Vegas police were called while the owner was on vacation. Police found 6 people in the home and arrested two people, including James Harvey for possession of narcotics.

After that roundup, the owners changed the locks once again. But Wednesday, 13 Action News discovered squatters had broken in again.

We found two people in front of the home. The owners called police again.

The people were gone when police arrived, but they searched for more people inside. They didn't find anyone, but did confirm squatters had broken in again, breaking a lock on the fence and breaking in through a sliding glass door.

Inside the house, you could see food on the floor, backed up toilets and shopping carts full of clutter the squatters left behind.

The owner already had to spend $2,000 last time to clean the entire house to attract buyers. Now they say they'll have to do it again.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas police says they're investigating the case. They say it's easier to make arrests in cases like this if they see squatters because it's for sale by an owner instead of foreclosed on by banks, which are harder to track down.