Ohio man accused of trying to steal stranger’s home while homeowner is in Florida

By Karin Johnson

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    MASON, Ohio (WLWT) — A brazen burglary is under investigation in Mason.

Ladarrius Gaston, 39, is accused of trying to steal a stranger’s home.

Since the homeowners moved to Florida, the home doesn’t get as much love as it used to, and Mason police said that caught Gaston’s attention. They said he broke in to the house in Sept. and tried to “lay claim to the property.”

Court records state he even hired a “dumpster rental company” to remove the homeowner’s “personal property.”

A neighbor called the 87-year-old homeowner in Florida after seeing the unusual activity.

She called 911.

“I own the home. I’m in Florida right now. I just got a call that people are going in and out of my house and taking things out of it,” the homeowner said.

“Do you know who it is that’s at the house supposedly taking items out of it?” a dispatcher asked.

“No, I don’t have any idea,” the homeowner said.

Mason police arrested Gaston.

Last week, he was indicted on a burglary charge, criminal damaging and possessing criminal tools.

Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell said Gaston tried to claim “adverse possession” or squatter rights as its sometimes called.

While unusual to happen in Warren County, property theft and property fraud have become problems in some cities.

“It has had serious consequences across the United States,” said Linda Oda, Warren County recorder.

In some counties in Ohio, including Warren, homeowners and business owners can take a simple step to protect themselves by signing up for property fraud alerts.

“It lets you know within 24 hours if somebody has recorded a document against your name, so that you have the ability to take action quickly. Most of these times, if you can get on top of it quickly, you can get it stopped before it causes you any harm,” Oda said. “You can choose whether you want a text, a phone call, an email. We even have it in Spanish.”

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