Global Courant 2023-04-28 00:49:58
A real estate agent in Montana was caught on video screaming in horror after being startled by a possible squatter while showing a property to potential tenants.
Billings real estate agent Alyssa Webb, a five-year veteran of the industry, was showing a home via video over the phone when she turned a corner and came face to face with the intruder, KULR-8 TV reported.
“It was really terrifying to know that the whole time I was in that house someone was there, and they weren’t trying to leave or announce their presence, and they were just hiding,” Webb told the outlet.
“I didn’t know what they were capable of, if they had guns, if they could have attacked me.”
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Billings real estate agent Alyssa Webb captured video of the moment she encountered an intruder at a house show. (KULR-8 TV and Alyssa Webb)
Billings Police Lt. Matt Lennick gave the outlet a few tips for people visiting a new location where squatters might be present.
“When you approach a residence or business or something where you might be the only one going in, it’s important to notice what’s going on,” Lennick said. “Is the door ajar, is it not locked or should it be locked, are the windows broken or have the screens been moved?”
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A real estate agent in Billings says she was “terrified” when she encountered an intruder at a house show. (KULR-8 TV)
“If you see something like this, the best thing to do is just wait and call us and we’ll send agents,” he added.
Lennick told Fox News Digital that squatting happens “occasionally” in Billings, but “rarely in a property trying to be sold or lived in.”
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Downtown Billings, Montana (Lynn Donaldson/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)
Lennick said the individual may have been burgling rather than squatting, but fled as soon as the real estate agent spotted him.
“He was not located and the owner of the property, victim of the burglary, declined to pursue criminal charges and did not want officers to investigate further,” Lennick said.
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Squatting has become a common problem in the United States in recent years, with homeowners often locked in a lengthy legal process where the hands of the police are tied due to policies that prevent them from determining whether paperwork is valid or not.
Andrew Mark Miller is a writer at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.