'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On August 14, DeKalb County man Tim Arko discussed his harrowing experience with squatters in an interview with WSBTV. According to Arko, a group of people have taken over his property in Decatur, a suburb of Atlanta. Upon reporting the squatters to 911, he was shocked when law enforcement officials arrested him instead.
As per the New York Times, Tim Arko is still currently in the process of fighting the squatters. He claimed that in his efforts to regain his property, he has even been threatened with a gun.
Arko added that an eviction notice has been signed, but he is waiting for US Marshals to execute the order. As of August 17, the squatters reportedly remain in his property.
"Just jumped the fence and ran": Tim Arko's experience with the Decatur squatters
As stated by Tim Arko in the WSBTV interview, the squatters first entered his Decatur property in February 2023. He said that they entered the space illegally right after his tenants moved out of the rental home.
Arko also added that ever since they entered, the squatters have taken part in drug use and other illicit activities. There have reportedly been two fatal overdoses in the premises since the suspects took over.
When Tim Arko spoke to the squatters, he saw that they had damaged his property and kept several dogs behind the building. Upon confronting them, one of them reportedly threatened him with a firearm, causing him to flee:
“I just jumped the fence and ran. I didn’t know what else to do."
When Tim Arko attempted to call the police, the squatters claimed that the landlord was a home invader that was targeting them, resulting in him being arrested. However, after authorities discovered that he legally owned the property, they reportedly did not charge him.
“They told the police that I was a home invader and that it was their home. And so I ended up being arrested and detained," Arko recounted.
Realizing the severity of the situation, Tim Arko spent months fighting for an eviction order against the group of squatters. In this regard, the landlord remarked that the court makes it extremely difficult to serve an eviction notice to squatters.
He said that despite the fact that he cannot legally enter the home, the authorities even accused him of not maintaining the property.
“I feel like it’s very heavily weighted towards these trespassers and criminals, not people that got duped," Arko said.
Arko's attorney, John Ernst, reinforced Arko's point, saying:
“No one likes, you know, being in the court system, but it becomes even worse when it seems broken down."
As of August 17, the names of the alleged squatters have not been publicly disclosed. Arko has been told that the eviction order should be executed in September 2023.
