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Neighbors stop squatters before they move in

Neighbors stop squatters before they move in
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One valley man says his neighborhood is keeping squatters at bay by stopping them before they move in.

He says his street near Valley View and Charleston has had several homes become vacant in the past few years after their owners passed away.

Since then, they've seen squatters move in and at times, it's taken months to have them removed.

So instead, they've been keeping a better eye out and confronting suspicious people trying to move into homes they know are vacant.

Just this week, he spotted a minivan with a few women and several children getting and trying to change locks on a vacant home.  They seemed friendly at first when he asked if they were moving in, but when he pressed them on who they were renting from, they said "none of your business."

The potential squatters were gone before Metro Police could show up and haven't been back since.

The neighbor says so far, their system of keeping an eye out has been working.  They've added security cameras and alert each other if they see anything suspicious.

"It's not just a meth guy on a scooter," he says. "It can be anyone - even a family in a minivan," he says.