Homeless Man Arrested For Squatting In Unoccupied Concord Home

CONCORD, NH — A local homeless man with prior criminal charges was arrested again last month on a trespass charge after allegedly being found inside a home that was not his, cooking food. Clayton Lindberg, 28, a homeless man now located in Concord, was arrested on Nov. 23, 2017, after officers were sent to Essex Street for a report of a possible trespass incident at just after 3 a.m.

Editor's Note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Concord Police Department and Concord District Court. It does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the name removal request process for NH Patch police reports.

When they arrived, officers spoke to a neighbor who stated that he saw someone walking around inside of a house which he knew was unoccupied because the previous residents that owned the home no longer lived there. Police inspected the home and while looking through windows, found random pieces of furniture scattered around but “not setup in a way that was indicative that someone was currently living there.” The officers found that all the doors were all closed but one, however, was unlocked.

The officers entered the building and approached the kitchen area of the home. They noticed, according the report, that the heat was on and they smelled food that had recently been cooking. The second officer checked a microwave and found a plate of chicken nuggets that had just been cooked and were steaming, the report noted.

The officers heard movement on the second floor of the home and eventually located Lindberg.

“Mr. Lindberg told me that he was homeless, and had entered the house to stay warm,” the officer alleged. “He stated that it was freezing out and that he was sick of just walking around with nowhere to go.”

Lindberg allegedly told the officer that he didn’t know the owners of the home or if anyone had been living there. After reportedly waiving his Miranda rights, he allegedly admitted to discovering the house about a week before. On that particular night, after casing the home, he decided to enter the home, found food in the freezer, and cooked it up to eat, the affidavit alleged.

Lindberg was arrested and held.

The reporting officer called the owner as part of a follow-up to the report and he stated that he didn’t know Lindberg and said all the doors had been locked, according to his recollection.

Last year, according to a report on Patch, Lindberg was arrested on four felony forgery charges, five counts of fraudulent use of a credit card, six felony counts of theft by deception, and two counts of theft by deception after alleged incidents at a number of stores around the city.

In April 2015, he was arrested on false imprisonment and domestic violence-false imprisonment while living on East Side Drive. A woman alleged that after an argument, Lindberg was not let back into her apartment but reportedly climbed onto a balcony, forced open a sliding door, and held her against her will.

In 2014, he was charged with two counts of willful concealment and two counts of theft by deception. In December 2013, Lindberg was charged with receiving stolen property – a television – from August of that year. The month before that, he was charged with theft by unauthorized taking or transfer – for allegedly grabbing Christmas lights out at Home Depot and walking out without paying for them.

Image via Concord Police.