On Wednesday, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to Lehigh Acres for a pair of squatters living inside a home on Glenn Avenue.
The real homeowners are still living out of town, while they make the move to Lehigh Acres.
The owner sent someone to check on the house after receiving a large electric bill. He said they noticed the locks were changed, and two people were inside.
“Somebody came out of my house, and that’s when we found out there were squatters in my residence,” the homeowner said. “I was highly devastated, both me and my wife are pretty torn up about it.”
When deputies arrived, they arrested Gregory Hayes, 27, and Angela Lasker, 48, the couple they believe had been squatting there for weeks.
“When I go back to this residence in the next couple days it just going to be really upsetting, it’s just never going to be the same going back into this house,” the homeowner said.
He said the couple destroyed their home, inside and out.
Hayes and Lasker are accused of ripping apart the kitchen counters and floor, cutting wires, stealing items in the home, and throwing out some of the owner’s belongings.
“It’s just very violating,” he said. “We never thought it would happen to us.”
The homeowner said if possible, people should look into a security system, get to know their neighbors, and always leave lights on inside.
Hayes and Lasker are facing multiple charges, including burglary and criminal mischief.