Florida man returns home from 7-month trip to find squatter in his home: affidavit
Photo: Marion County Sheriffs Office
OCALA, Fla. - A homeowner returned from a seven-month trip to New Zealand and found a man squatting in his house, according to an affidavit from the Marion County Sheriff's Office. The two got into a verbal argument, which resulted in the homeowner firing a shot into his front door after asking the alleged trespasser to leave.
Ze'Moye Brown was arrested on several charges – including misdemeanor trespassing, misdemeanor possession of marijuana and felony possession of a controlled substance without a prescription – after the confrontation that took place Friday on Spring Lake Road in Ocala, the affidavit states. The suspect is who called the police, saying he was shot by someone who claimed the house he was "squatting in" was his.
The homeowner told authorities he was in New Zealand for seven months and got back home on June 9. He came home to find his house trashed and burglarized with several items missing, which he reported to police earlier in the day. In an attempt to catch the alleged squatter when he returned, the homeowner said he slept in a closet.
That's when his alarm went off at around 8 p.m., where he found Brown peeking into the room where he was lying down. The homeowner reportedly yelled at Brown to get out of his house, and the two began to argue about who actually owns the house. Brown said the home didn't belong to the homeowner, and that's when a shot was fired into the bottom left corner of the front door, according to the affidavit. Brown then ran out of the house.
In a post-Miranda interview with authorities, Brown said he was living at that house for "a few months" and he was the only one staying there, to his knowledge. He denied stealing the items the homeowner reported earlier in the day. He also said all the windows and doors were unlocked when he arrived and claimed the house was vacant for three years.
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The homeowner pressed charges and Brown was taken into custody. When he was searched before entering the deputy's car, a rock-like substance was found in his pants pocket, which later tested positive for methamphetamine. A small baggy was also found, and it tested positive for marijuana.
Brown is being held on $4,000 bond.