A local man with a history of squatting has been arrested after allegedly deceiving homeowners with a forged lease and moving into their vacant property.
Tommy Terrell, known to law enforcement for similar incidents earlier this year, is now facing charges of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling.
Two homeowners checked on a property they’d bought last year on 12th Street SW in Vero Beach, Florida. Despite listing the house for rent on Zillow, they hadn’t found a tenant. Imagine their shock when they found someone already living there, and the locks had been changed, keeping them out of their own home.
Deputies from the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office (IRCSO) responded to the scene and confirmed the property belonged to the two victims. They then encountered Terrell, who claimed to have moved into the home in November. He presented deputies with a lease and a receipt for $25,000, purportedly covering a year’s rent, naming one of the victims as his landlord. However, when asked to identify the “landlord” standing nearby, Terrell claimed he had never seen her before, describing the supposed landlord as a tall woman with dreadlocks. He also said he’d found the place on Zillow and even pulled up a Gmail account that had one of the owner’s names on it to show the deputies.
Upon closer inspection of the documents provided by Terrell, deputies noticed inconsistencies. A background check revealed Terrell’s prior encounters with law enforcement in 2024, where he was found homeless and squatting in unoccupied residences.
Terrell’s story began to unravel. He claimed the $25,000 came from an inheritance from a deceased aunt, which he received in cash from his mother in Tennessee. His girlfriend, who was also found living in the residence, corroborated their eight-month relationship and previous instances of homelessness and squatting with Terrell. The girlfriend’s mother showed up and admitted she’d bought all the furniture in the house. She then took it all out.
Despite the mounting evidence, deputies were initially forced to release Terrell, advising the victims to pursue a formal eviction through the courts. However, the investigation took a turn when the deputies talked to Terrell’s mother. When she heard about the supposed inheritance, she burst out laughing, saying she’d never give him that kind of money. She also confirmed that while his aunt was indeed deceased, he wasn’t in line to inherit anything.
He was subsequently booked into the Indian River County Jail and is being held on a $57,500 bond. His girlfriend, who had moved out willingly, was not charged.
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