A Georgia woman’s nightmare highlights the increasing frustration for property owners dealing with squatting, as the justice system once again appears to side with those exploiting it. Loletha Hale was arrested and charged with criminal trespassing after attempting to reclaim her family home, only to face resistance from an alleged squatter who had taken up residence without her consent.
Hale, determined to honor her late mother by restoring the Livingston property, arrived on December 9 to clean out the house. She had already endured months of legal battles to evict the squatter, Sakemeyia Johnson, whom a court had ordered to vacate in mid-November. But when Hale arrived, Johnson was still occupying the home, brazenly bringing along a man to intimidate her.
“I returned on Monday to start painting, and she had broken the locks at my property,” Hale told WSB-TV. “She just showed up out of nowhere with this guy. I locked the screen door, and he forced himself in, telling us to get out.”
The situation escalated when police arrived. Shockingly, bodycam footage captured an officer sympathizing with the squatter rather than the rightful property owner. “Just think of it from this perspective,” the officer said to Hale. “Everybody isn’t as fortunate as you to have a bed… food in the kitchen.”
Hale stood her ground, refusing to surrender her home. But instead of receiving support, she was arrested. Her charges? Criminal trespassing and a misdemeanor count of terroristic threats, stemming from her alleged warning to Johnson: “Leave before I get my gun.” Meanwhile, Johnson faced no charges, despite ignoring a legal eviction order and breaking into the home.
“To see that woman walk into my mom’s house while I was in the police car—something is wrong with this picture,” Hale said. “Something is inherently wrong.”
The ordeal began months earlier when Hale discovered Johnson had moved into the home without her knowledge. Although initially cited for squatting, Johnson successfully argued her connection to a previous tenant’s partner, leading a Clayton County judge to declare her “not a squatter.” Despite Hale’s appeals and a legal eviction order issued on November 18, Johnson continued to occupy the property.
“How can she not be squatting when I’ve never had any type of contract relationship with this person?” Hale questioned.
This case is part of a disturbing trend in Georgia, where squatting cases have surged. In 2017, there were only three reported cases, but by 2023, that number had skyrocketed to 198. Property owners are increasingly finding themselves entangled in legal red tape while trespassers exploit loopholes.
For homeowners like Hale, this isn’t just about property—it’s about principle. “I spent the night on a mat on a concrete floor in deplorable conditions while this woman, this squatter, slept in my home,” Hale lamented.
The injustice of her arrest underscores a broader failure of the system to protect property rights, leaving law-abiding citizens like Hale to bear the brunt of its shortcomings.
