Military Family Moved Out, Squatters Moved In, Deputies Say

When a Riverview military family was deployed to Illinois recently, squatters took advantage of the situation to call the home left behind their own.

Those squatters, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office reports, now face criminal charges for their unwelcomed use of the Avelar Ridge Drive property.

The case began to unfold Monday evening when the home’s real owners called the sheriff’s office asking for a deputy to check on the property. It seems a neighbor let the homeowners know someone was attempting to move into their property.

When deputies stopped by, they could clearly see someone was living in the home, an email from the agency to media stated. The “residents,” however, were not there at the time.

Concerned, the homeowners asked the neighbor to change the locks. The favor was granted, but deputies say that didn’t keep the squatters out.

When deputies returned Tuesday to follow up, they found pry marks on the rear sliding glass door. They also found three people inside the home.

All three were arrested. They are:

Tequila Smith, 34

• Charge: Burglary of an unoccupied dwelling

Latoya Gilbert, 30

• Charge: Burglary of an unoccupied dwelling

Michelle McMillon, 28

• Charges: Burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and giving a false name to a law enforcement officer

Deputies say all three have “significant arrest histories within Hillsborough County and also have histories of unlawfully moving into vacant homes.”

Smith was recently trespassed from another home in the Riverview area.

Booking photos of Smith, Gilbert and McMillon courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office

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