CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — A Clayton County woman was arrested just weeks before Christmas after a protracted legal battle with an alleged squatter occupying her home led to a confrontation.
Loletha Hale, the homeowner, said she spent a night in jail after trying to reclaim her property from Sakemeyia Johnson, whom Hale accuses of squatting in her house since August. “I spent the night on a mat on a concrete floor in deplorable conditions. While this woman, this squatter, slept in my home,” Hale told WSBTV.
The dispute began months earlier when Hale discovered Johnson living in her home and contacted police. Johnson was cited under Georgia’s recently passed Squatter Reform Act. However, Clayton County Magistrate Court Judge Latrevia Lates-Johnson ruled that Johnson was not a squatter, citing her connection to a previously evicted tenant’s partner.
Despite Hale eventually winning a court judgment on Nov. 18 granting her ownership rights, she returned to the home in December only to find the locks broken and Johnson still inside. Hale’s attempt to remove Johnson’s belongings prompted police to arrest her for what they called an illegal eviction. Authorities cited video evidence where Hale allegedly stated, “leave before I get my gun.”
Hale admitted she had not yet obtained the required legal writ of possession to complete the eviction, saying she was waiting for court documents to be finalized.
The legal dispute highlights the challenges of property rights and eviction laws in cases involving alleged squatters, leaving Hale’s homeownership in legal limbo as the holiday season approaches.