Los Angeles, Ca
Man devoted to eliminating squatters taking over Southern California homes
As illegal squatters taking over homes across Southern California grow increasingly common, one man has dedicated his life to fighting those squatters and protecting homeowners.
Known as “The Squatter Hunters,” Flash Shelton, 57, is the man behind the operation focused on helping homeowners clear their properties of squatters while fighting to change laws that protect squatters’ rights.
Shelton’s most recent case was helping an elderly woman who owned a Hollywood Hills home that squatters had taken over.
Rcently, squatters took over a Beverly Crest mansion and turned it into a wild party house where hundreds of rowdy guests would show up every night.
In February, another group of squatters took over a Hollywood Hills mansion and used the property to produce OnlyFans content.
Intruders breaking into unoccupied homes and living there illegally has become a growing issue that some homeowners are concerned about.
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Police responded to reports of a woman screaming a multi-million dollar Hollywood Hills mansion on Aug. 10, 2023, to find the estate had been trashed by squatters. (KTLA) -
Police responded to reports of a woman screaming a multi-million dollar Hollywood Hills mansion on Aug. 10, 2023, to find the estate had been trashed by squatters. (KTLA) -
Hundreds of partygoers seen attending nightly parties at a Beverly Crest mansion taken over by squatters. -
Police responded to reports of a woman screaming a multi-million dollar Hollywood Hills mansion on Aug. 10, 2023, to find the estate had been trashed by squatters. (KTLA) -
Police responded to reports of a woman screaming a multi-million dollar Hollywood Hills mansion on Aug. 10, 2023, to find the estate had been trashed by squatters. (KTLA) -
Guests inside a Beverly Crest mansion that squatters have turned into a party house were seen handcuffed after reports of a burglary on Jan. 26, 2024. (KTLA) -
Squatters have turned an unoccupied Beverly Crest mansion into a wild party house, disrupting neighbors while telling police they have a legitimate lease on the property. (KTLA) -
Authorities remove belongs from a Hollywood Hills home occupied by squatters. February 2024. (Emily Randall-Smith/Tyler Smith) -
Police swarm a Beverly Crest mansion that squatters have turned into a party house after reports of a burglary on Jan. 26, 2024. (KTLA) -
Hundreds of partygoers seen attending nightly parties at a Beverly Crest mansion taken over by squatters. -
Police responded to reports of a woman screaming a multi-million dollar Hollywood Hills mansion on Aug. 10, 2023, to find the estate had been trashed by squatters. (KTLA) -
Police swarm a Beverly Crest mansion that squatters have turned into a party house after reports of a burglary on Jan. 26, 2024. (KTLA) -
Squatters have turned an unoccupied Beverly Crest mansion into a wild party house, disrupting neighbors while telling police they have a legitimate lease on the property. (KTLA) -
Brentwood home where woman allegedly squatted inside Airbnb property for 570 days. (KTLA) -
Police swarm a Beverly Crest mansion that squatters have turned into a party house after reports of a burglary on Jan. 26, 2024. (KTLA) -
Squatters have turned an unoccupied Beverly Crest mansion into a wild party house, disrupting neighbors while telling police they have a legitimate lease on the property. (KTLA) -
Squatters have turned an unoccupied Beverly Crest mansion into a wild party house, disrupting neighbors while telling police they have a legitimate lease on the property. (KTLA) -
Police responded to reports of a woman screaming a multi-million dollar Hollywood Hills mansion on Aug. 10, 2023, to find the estate had been trashed by squatters. (KTLA) -
Squatters have turned an unoccupied Beverly Crest mansion into a wild party house, disrupting neighbors while telling police they have a legitimate lease on the property. (KTLA)
Authorities said while many squatters may not necessarily be homeless, some are just career criminals mostly looking for an easy living situation.
If Shelton can help it though, these squatters have now met their match. When asked how he would describe his job, Shelton said, “I’d say anti-squatter activist, squatter hunter, squatter remover. Just doing what I have to to help people get their squatters out.”
Shelton’s life mission began in 2019 when his father died and his mother was looking to sell her Northern California home.
While the home was listed on the market, it remained empty during that time. One day, Shelton made a shocking discovery when he walked into the home and discovered seven strangers had moved in, even filling the home with full furnishings.
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Flash Shelton removed all the furniture from his mother’s home that belonged to an illegal group of squatters in Northern California. (Flash Shelton) -
Flash Shelton, founder of “The Squatter Hunters” speaks to KTLA. about his mission to help protect homeowners. -
Flash Shelton removed all the furniture from his mother’s home that belonged to an illegal group of squatters in Northern California. (Flash Shelton)
When Shelton contacted local law enforcement, he was told there was nothing they could do as squatters also had rights. That’s when Shelton decided to take matters into his own hands.
Cell phone video of Shelton confronting the squatters shows the culprits were defensive when asked how they were able to move into the home.
“Squatters sometimes, in many cases, have a fake lease,” Shelton explained. “So the first thing I did was I had my mom write a lease in my name.”
He then waited for an open window when he knew the squatters had left the home for the day.
“I went in and put up cameras, and secured the back door that had been broken into,” Shelton recalled.
He then moved all of the squatters’ furniture and belongings into the driveway. When they returned to the home, he explained the situation to them, that they did not have a legitimate lease and that once he locked the home up and left, they would not be able to re-enter the property.
Following this successful operation, Shelton said he found a new calling, becoming the “Squatter Hunter” and devoted his time to helping other homeowners who may be stuck in a similar situation.
He runs a YouTube channel documenting his various operations of removing squatters. Homeowners can contact him and for a fee, he’ll help remove any squatters.
Shelton said he typically works with law enforcement and his own team and will research every case to assess the threat before confronting the perpetrators.
Shelton’s crew may arm themselves with weapons for self-protection and will arrive with proof of the home’s authentic lease so they can legally claim the property back.
For homeowners who have dealt with an actual squatter, the process of removing them can be difficult and costly, Shelton said. The process could take weeks, months or even years and may require costly legal fees.
Shelton said he charges his clients anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 depending on the case. He said his fees are a more affordable price to pay compared to attorneys who may charge upwards of $130,000 with no guarantee of actually removing the squatters.
As Shelton continues his crusade of helping homeowners in the fight against squatters, he said he’s also working to change local laws concerning squatters’ rights so that homeowners can be more empowered.
Shelton has started a Change.org petition that aims to make squatting in residential homes a criminal act.
The future of voice to text is here.
I’ve been testing a variety of tools that make taking notes, transcribing audio, and even voice typing faster and easier than ever.
If you have a smartphone, you’re already halfway there!
Google’s Pixel Recorder app is free and built into their smartphone. It’s excellent for transcribing meetings, lectures, and conversations – all in real time.
Apple’s Voice Memos App recently added transcriptions if you’re upgraded to iOS 18.
Samsung’s Voice recorder app now offers transcripts too – as long as you’re on their latest One UI 7 software. (Check Settings > About Phone > Software Information)
Got an older phone? Try Otter.AI. It works great for transcriptions across devices and you get 300 minutes a month free.
Don’t want to tie up your phone?
I’ve been testing AI-powered digital audio recorders from a startup named Plaud.
The Plaud Note is thin, records for hours, and can even clip to the back of your phone to record calls. Just make sure you know your local laws before using that feature.
The Plaud Pin can be clipped to your shirt or worn on your wrist for hands-free recording.
Both devices sync audio to a companion app that auto transcribes and summarizes.
You get five hours of transcription a month included, with options to pay for more.
Pricing for each gadget starts around $160 dollars.
Want to transcribe audio files on your computer?
My favorite Mac app is MacWhisper. You can even get it completely free – although paid versions are avaialble with more features and options.
On Windows, check out Vibe Transcribe, also free.
And for a web-based option, Whisper Web gets the job done.
Finally, if you want to type less and talk more… there’s an excellent AI voice-to-text app called Wispr Flow. It was previously Mac only but just became avaialble for Windows, too.
One you install it, you pick a hotkey. Then, instead of typing just press and hold down that key and dictate what you want to write.
Since it uses the power of AI, you can even stumble or ramble and it will clean up your words and get the punctionation right.
It’s a gamechanger for responding to emails fast! You get 2,000 words free each week with options to pay for more.
Enjoy your newfound time!
An alleged attack on a state prison officer by a 43-year-old inmate transferred from Los Angeles County is being investigated as attempted homicide, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials announced Tuesday.
The March 18 incident at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad reportedly unfolded just before 9 a.m. on what authorities describe as a “dayroom floor.”
The inmate, Anthony G. Ramirez, is believed to have pulled an improvised weapon from his waistband before attempting to attack custody staff member, according to a CDCR news release.
“Staff immediately responded, disarming Ramirez and placing him in handcuffs without incident,” the release detailed.
The 43-year-old, who was transferred to SVSP in 2008 after being sentenced to life with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder, with enhancements for the use of a firearm and causing great bodily injury or death, was placed in restrictive housing pending the investigation and possible felony prosecution by the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
Both Ramirez and the custody staff member were examined by medical personnel who noted no serious injuries.
Officials said that the California Correctional Peace Officers Association was notified of the incident and prison staff were offered peer support services and employee assistance programs.
Salinas Valley State Prison, opened in 1996, houses more than 2,400 minimum, medium, maximum and high-security inmates. The facility also offers vocational programs and academic classes and employs some 1,800 people.
A toxic algal bloom leaving an increasing number of marine mammals stranded along Southern California beaches shows no signs of subsiding and “will only get worse,” officials said Monday.
“This week, we saw more stranded dolphins (both alive and deceased) than we saw during the major domoic acid (DA) bloom in 2023,” Marine Mammal Care Center (MMCC) Los Angeles posted on Facebook.
Recent tests showed DA-producing algae levels have increased, and officials believe that trend will continue in the coming weeks. “We anticipate that it will only get worse,” the post read.
MMCC asked the public not to approach sick dolphins or sea lions on the beach because they can become aggressive upon awakening from a seizure.
“This is a safety issue for people and their pets as much as it is for the marine mammals,” officials said.
Beachgoers were also urged not to push stranded dolphins back into the water, saying it can reduce their chances of survival.
More information about domoic-acid poisoning can be found at https://marinemammalcare.org/domoic-acid/.
The volume of sick marine mammals has also had a financial impact on the MMCC.
“Our team is working heroically to respond to every call and to rescue every animal they can. Please share this post and give now at marinemammalcare.org/donate to give these marine mammals a second chance at life!” the MMCC stated.
Anyone who encounters a sick or stranded marine mammal can alert the nearest lifeguard and call 1-800-39-WHALE to make a report.
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