Man Accused of Squatting in West Dearborn Home Evicted

An issue with a purported "squatter" in a west Dearborn home appears to be nearing resolution.

A hearing held Wednesday in the before Judge Mark Somers resulted in the eviction of the resident of the home on North Vernon Street. The man, who said he had a lease to live at the home, is ordered to be out of the house by July 23.

The situation came to the attention of the City of Dearborn's Residential Services Department due to several complaints from neighbors of the home over the past few months. Investigation by Dearborn police led to the discovery that the home was actually a vacant property owned by Bank of America.

The previous owners lost the home to foreclosure in 2010.

Residents of the area  in June, saying that they feared the impact such an unkempt property could have on their neighborhood.

The home “used to be pristine, but now looks horrible,” one neighbor said.

According to attorney Ryan Burr of Trott and Trott Law Firm, who represented Bank of America, the violations reported to police mostly concerned a loose pit bull that was disturbing neighbors and their pets, as well as domestic disturbances.

Additionally, several complaints were made to Residential Services about the home's overgrown grass, and trash in the yard.

Burr said in court Wednesday that Bank of America examined the lease that the resident presented and determined that "it did not meet requirements" for validity.

The resident, who did appear in court, did not contest the eviction.

"I knew that I had to move," he told Judge Somers, but wanted to bring the matter to the court to find out how long he had to get out of the home.