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Squatters take over Georgia man’s home while he was caring for sick wife — and now he can’t evict them: report

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Squatters take over Georgia man’s home while he was caring for sick wife — and now he can’t evict them: report


A Georgia man claims he returned home from caring for his sick wife to find that squatters had changed the locks on his home and moved in — and now local laws are blocking him from evicting the alleged freeloaders.

“Basically, these people came in Friday, broke into my house and had a U-Haul move all their stuff in. It’s frustrating. It’s very frustrating. I can’t even sleep,” DeKalb man Paul Callins told WSB-TV.

Callins had sunk thousands of dollars into the home and renovated with his own hands after he inherited it from his late father, but since squatters moved in he’s found himself facing nothing but obstacles to evict the alleged intruders.

“I guess they have done this before, because when I called the police, they said since they have a fake lease, that they can’t do anything. That it’s a civil matter,” Callins said.

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Paul Callins’ DeKalb County home, which he said was overtaken by squatters while he was away caring for his sick wife. Google Maps

Callins believes the squatters targeted him after posting a rental advertisement online. He’d been planning to rent to a government-subsidized tenant when he lost the house, WSB-TV reported.

Rather than forcibly evicting the squatters, Georgia law requires homeowners file an “Affidavit of Intruder” which then needs to work its way through the court system before police can act, Callins explained.

“I have to go through the court system, and I understand it could take 60 to 90 days,” the homeowner said.

Callins had sunk thousands of dollars into the home, which he renovated himself getting it ready to rent out. WSB-TV
Two men were observed entering the home. Callins thinks the alleged squatters have done it before at other homes. WSB-TV

Situations like Callins’ have become all too common in Georgia.

About 1,200 homes across DeKalb County are currently occupied by squatters, according to the National Rental Home Council trade group. The problem is exacerbated by its status as a civil matter, which prevents homeowners from easily evicting intruders, according to critics.

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Lawmakers in Georgia are nearing the passage of a bill which would make squatting a criminal offense and using a fake lease a felony, which would allow police officers to arrest offenders.

Callins was advised that there’s little police can do as he signs an “Affidavit of Intruder” that needs to go through the court system. WSB-TV

“These are people that know exactly what they’re doing, and they’re stealing other people’s most valuable capital, which is their home,” Rep. Devan Seabaugh, a Republican co-sponsoring the bill, told Fox News.

“I don’t know how it took us this long to get here… but no more free rides.”



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Co-owner of Yurezz Home Center in Greeneville arrested in Georgia

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Co-owner of Yurezz Home Center in Greeneville arrested in Georgia


The co-owner of Yurezz Home Center in Greeneville has been arrested in Georgia, according to a report obtained by News 5.

Earlier this week, News 5 told you about the dealership in Greeneville that abruptly shut down last month.

This has left homeowners with partially built homes and employees without jobs.

It is not yet clear why Richard Altman was taken into custody.

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This is a developing story.



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Georgia Supreme Court upholds convictions of men in deadly shooting during gas station carjacking

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Georgia Supreme Court upholds convictions of men in deadly shooting during gas station carjacking


Two men found guilty of murdering a man while he was pumping air into his tires at a Georgia gas station will remain in prison, the Georgia Supreme Court has ruled.

Miles Chatezal Collins and Josiah Hughley, Jr. had appealed to the state’s highest court after they were found guilty of felony murder, aggravated assault, violating Georgia’s Street Gang, Terrorism and Prevention Act, and hijacking a motor vehicle, among other charges in 2025.

The men’s charges stem from a shooting on July 10, 2022, at a QuickTrip gas station in Peachtree Corners. According to the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office, 30-year-old Bradley Lamar Coleman had stopped at the gas station to fill up his tires when Collins, Hughley, and a third man pulled up beside him and tried to steal his Dodge Charger.

When Coleman tried to stop the men, officials say they shot him and fled the scene.

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Authorities say the three men were members of the Blood gang and had tried to steal the car to increase their status.

While their first trial ended in a mistrial due to a comment by the prosecution, a jury found Collins, Hughley, and their co-defendant, David Jarrad Booker, guilty of more than a dozen charges in 2025. They were each sentenced to life plus 145 years in prison.

In Collins and Hughley’s appeal to the state Supreme Court, they argued that there was insufficient evidence to support some of the charges and that the judge in the case improperly admitted certain evidence and committed errors in instructing the jurors.

The justices’ rulings disagreed, finding that their attorneys failed to object to the supposed errors and that the two men’s claims were insufficient.

The judges also found that a claim by Hughley that his counsel failed him by not asserting that a statement made to law enforcement should have been suppressed. With those findings, the Supreme Court chose not to overrule the case, letting the convictions and sentences stand.

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“We are grateful for this affirmation from the Georgia Supreme Court,” Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “Thanks to the incredible work of our team of trial and appellate prosecutors, and all of the staff that assisted with defending these convictions, two dangerous criminals will remain in prison.”

Booker’s appeal remains pending.



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Trooper injured in chain-reaction crash on Georgia 400

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Trooper injured in chain-reaction crash on Georgia 400


A Georgia State Patrol trooper and two other motorists were involved in a multi-vehicle chain-reaction crash that injured two people and blocked northbound traffic on Georgia 400 near Abernathy Road on July 7, 2026. (SKYFOX 5)

A Georgia State Patrol trooper sustained injuries Tuesday afternoon after striking the rear of a stopped vehicle on Georgia 400, triggering a three-vehicle chain-reaction crash. 

What we know:

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The collision happened around 3:43 p.m. on the northbound lanes just south of Abernathy Road. 

A trooper was traveling north on Georgia 400 when traffic in front of the cruiser came to a sudden stop. The trooper was unable to halt in time and struck the rear of a second vehicle, which then slammed into a third vehicle. 

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All three vehicles sustained enough damage to be towed from the scene, according to the state patrol report. The trooper had visible injuries and received treatment onsite, while medics transported the second driver to a local hospital. The driver of the third car complained of injuries but refused medical treatment at the scene. 

What we don’t know:

Officials have not yet confirmed the current medical conditions of the hospitalized driver or the injured trooper. It remains unclear what caused traffic to come to a sudden halt before the chain-reaction collision occurred. 

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The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Lt. E. Starling of the Georgia State Patrol DPS Public Information Office, who provided the preliminary crash details in an official statement. 

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