The Des Moines Police made four arrests Thursday in connection with squatters at vacant homes in Kent, Renton, SeaTac and Federal Way.
The Des Moines Police served search warrants at homes in the 25100 block of 23rd Place on Kent’s West Hill; 4400 block of South 176th Street in SeaTac; 16400 block of Southeast 174th Street in Renton; and the 1400 block of Southwest Dash Point Road in Federal Way, according to a Des Moines Police media release.
The Sea-Tac Police, Federal Way Police, Kent Police and King County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the search warrants. The four arrested face potential charges by King County prosecutors of filing false documents, false representation concerning title, residential burglary, theft and trespassing.
“The issue of squatters taking over vacant homes by filing false documents with the King County Recorder’s Office is a growing issue in King County, Washington State and across the country,” said Des Moines Police spokesman Doug Jenkins in the media release. “When a squatter takes over a home it affects the quality of life of the entire neighborhood. Rarely do the squatters take care of the home to neighborhood standards and squatters can cause problems for the surrounding neighborhood.”
Squatters often pay several hundred dollars to take a class to learn ways to take over a vacant home, Jenkins said. They are taught how to file an assortment of false documents with the County Recorder’s Office in order to claim the home through adverse possession. The homes are posted with what looks like official documents.
The filing of these documents can be a felony or misdemeanor in Washington State. Often, owners of the vacant homes can be difficult to locate because they have lost their home to foreclosure or they are owned by a bank, Jenkins said. Attempting to enforce laws such as trespassing or burglary can be very time consuming and difficult to prosecute. Assessing monetary penalties through the code enforcement violations are problematic because of the ownership issues.
The King County Prosecutor’s Office Mortgage Fraud Unit and their prosecutors and investigator also assisted with the case.
“We hope what took place today is just the beginning of a long-term effort to rid our neighborhoods of these homes that create such a drain on government resources,” Jenkins said.
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