An unidentified homeowner who had been overseas for seven months in New Zealand, returned to his Ocala, Florida home on June 9 only to find Ze’Moye Brown, an alleged squatter, living in his home. So he armed himself, hid in a closet, and then confronted him.

The home on Spring Lake Road had been reportedly trashed and burglarized by Brown. After the homeowner confronted the squatter and fired his gun in an attempt to get him to leave on Friday, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office arrived and arrested Brown according to a sheriff’s office affidavit reviewed by Fox News Digital.

The homeowner recounted to authorities that upon returning from New Zealand, he found his home turned upside down with a number of things missing. He proceeded to report it to the police.

The day he came back, the man decided to arm himself and sleep in a closet in his home to try and catch the squatter in the act. His alarm went off at 8 pm and he woke up to see Brown peering at him in the closet according to the affidavit.

An alleged squatter was arrested in Florida after a homeowner fresh off a seven-month trip to New Zealand said he returned to his house and found it trashed and burglarized.

Authorities with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office arrested Ze’Moye Brown on Friday after the…

— Opee (@Opee102755) June 15, 2023

He jerked awake and yelled at the squatter to get out. The two men then incredibly argued about who actually owned the home. The homeowner at that point reportedly used his Beretta handgun to fire a shot at his front door in an effort to force Brown to leave the premises.

Brown fled the home and then unbelievably called the police, telling them he was shot. He also claimed he owned the home he was squatting in, according to Fox 35.

The police arrested Brown after that unhinged claim and charged him with a variety of crimes that included misdemeanor trespassing, misdemeanor possession of marijuana, and felony possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.

Officers reportedly found a rock-like substance, which tested positive for methamphetamine, in his pocket when Brown was arrested. They also found a baggie containing. marijuana.

This seems to be another way that lives are being purposefully being permitted to be destroyed. How long do you think any of us would be allowed to squat in the houses of Pelosi, Mc Connell, Biden, Obama and others of their ilk?

— Molly’s Pitcher 2 (@MollysPitcher22) June 15, 2023

Brown claimed to police after he was arrested that he had lived in the home for “a few months” and that he was the only one staying there. He also alleged that the windows and doors were unlocked when he first moved into the home. He claimed the house had been vacant for three years according to Fox 35. Brown denied stealing the items that the homeowner reported missing.

The squatter is now being held on a $4,000 bond.

It’s not Brown’s first run-in with the law either. The Daily Mail is reporting that has a criminal record dating back to 2014. The squatter was previously arrested for grand larceny, resisting a police officer, and other trespassing charges.

Looks like the homeowner took out the garbage…. Good for him!

— Jeff Miller (@Uvaguy97) June 15, 2023

In 2020, Brown was busted for giving a false name to police when a sheriff’s deputy pulled over a car he was a passenger in that reeked of marijuana. He told the officer that his name was “Jack Barnes” and that he had no middle name, according to Ocala News. When the deputy asked him what his Social Security number was, he claimed he didn’t know.

Brown went on to claim that he was from Mississippi, had only been in Florida for a few months, and had no Florida driver’s license or other means of identification.

The deputy, of course, could not find any records for a “Jack Barnes.” Brown finally admitted what his real name was, contending he gave a fake one because he believed there was an active warrant out for his arrest.

He was right and he wound up in jail over it.

Get the latest BPR news delivered free to your inbox daily. SIGN UP HERE

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.