Northern Ont. squatter moved in, changed locks

Key being used to open a door

When the resident of an apartment in Blind River returned home Jan. 5 after a holiday trip, they not only noticed some missing items, but they saw several new items that didn’t belong to them.

The victim called police and the subsequent investigation revealed that a squatter had moved into the Woodward Avenue unit, changed some locks “and took up residency,” Ontario Provincial Police said Monday.

OPP Const. Bev Gauthier said in an email that the suspect moved in Dec. 28 or Dec. 29, making themselves at home for a week or so before they were discovered.

“When the owner returned and gained access to the unit, the landlord observed some items that were now in the apartment and some items to be stolen,” the OPP said in a news release.

A suspect was identified and police in Sudbury contacted the OPP Jan. 6 to say they had arrested the accused.

“East Algoma OPP travelled to (Sudbury) and recovered the stolen property,” police said.

The suspect, 32, from Blind River, is charged with break and enter to commit an indictable offence.

The accused is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Elliot Lake on Feb. 1.