In Bonita Springs, Florida, a rumoured squatter who had supposedly moved into a multi-million dollar house was apprehended after police discovered her eating a sandwich and donning the actual homeowner’s clothes.
Luisa Villa, 54, was taken into custody by Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies on Monday afternoon while the home’s owner was gone, according to NBC 2.
Authorities were called to the luxurious beach property on Hickory Boulevard on Monday after a housekeeper noticed a suitcase in the kitchen and heard a dog howling there, according to NBC 2.
Deputies circled the house before entering, where they allegedly discovered Villa munching on a sandwich.
Authorities claim that the woman entered the house with her tiny dog while wearing an Athleta outfit that belonged to the owners.
According to Zillow listings examined by Fox News Digital, apartments in the region often sell for around $1 million. According to NBC 2, the sheriff’s office identified the residence where the crime was committed as a multimillion-dollar home.
According to the site, Villa had a home in Fort Myers, but she claimed to be the owner of the beach house and gave deputies fake documents to prove it.
Authorities contacted the actual owner, who claimed not to know Villa, and the defendant was taken into custody.
The police presence, as well as the fact that someone tried to fraudulently move into the house, shocked the neighbours, who noted that it is a safe area.
“I don’t know where she thought she was going to stay or how long she thought she was going to stay because all these houses have people that check in them all the time,” Bruce Broskie told NBC 2.
According to the arrest records kept by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Villa was accused of resisting an officer, larceny, fraud, and burglary.
The arrest occurs only a few months after Fort Lauderdale police evicted 10 squatters from a million-dollar residence, leaving it infested with bugs and damaged. In June, additional police enforcement in the area of Port Orange, Florida, demolished buildings on an island that squatters had taken over and was notorious for drug use.
