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https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/get-off-my-property-taxpayer-funded- rehabbed-home-allegedly-occupied-by-squatters-06-07-2025#

BALTIMORE (WBFF) � Alleged squatters took over a prominent Baltimore
community revitalizer�s taxpayer-funded project on Friday, claiming to be connected to the property through social media accounts, with one occupant arrested on unrelated outstanding warrants during a tense multi-hour
standoff with police.

Joanna Bartholomew, the CEO and founder of O�Hara Development Partners,
told Spotlight on Maryland outside a home she had just revitalized that
she was excited to finalize the property for sale to first-time
homebuyers. She said that her exhilaration quickly turned to disbelief.

I was coming here around 7:00, 7:15 this morning. I was meeting one of my contractors here,� Bartholomew said. �I saw a gentleman walking out of the house, and he didn�t look like anyone who was even a subcontractor of the
guys that we hire.�
The decades-long celebrated community activist and redevelopment veteran
who served on Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott�s transition team said that
the alleged squatter told her that he had been living in the home for some time.

Bartholomew claimed that the occupant told her his living arrangement was untenable because she and her company owned the East 22nd Street property
and had never had active tenants during its rehabilitation.

�He said he has a lease,� Bartholomew said. �We did call the police now,
here we are, finding out we have a full family in here, literally within
the last 24 to 48 hours, found their way inside the property.�

From the rear of the building, officers from the Baltimore Police
Department (BPD) escorted a property management worker to the back door.
The worker tried to break the locks on the ground-level entry of the four- story row house.

The worker could not gain access because the door was braced.

Nah, man. Get off of my property,� the male occupant said from a third-
floor window. �I just talked to y�all. I just showed you my lease. I want
to know what the problem is now?�
As officers attempted to de-escalate the heated exchange, they identified
the alleged unauthorized male and female occupants using the purported
lease and identification provided.

Police told the man that his contact report returned active warrants,
while the woman occupant was discovered wearing an ankle monitor.

ALSO READ | Social media squatter network? Baltimore property manager and occupant come face-to-face

Officers prepared a battering ram and shield to breach the property�s door while waiting for authorization to proceed with the entry. Over an hour
later, they still had not received the necessary authority to gain access
to the home.

The scene�s commanding officer told the male occupant that they would
serve the warrants regardless of the occupancy dispute. After a two-hour standoff, the man ultimately came out of the property�s front door,
surrendered peacefully to police, and was placed into custody.

�I can confirm that officers were called to the location for possible squatting,� Officer Vernon Davis, a BPD spokesperson, said. �During the investigation, they discovered that [a 34-year-old male] had an open
warrant and was subsequently arrested.�

However, the report did not specify the nature of the warrant,� Officer
Davis added.
Spotlight on Maryland has been investigating social media-fueled squatting accounts across Maryland for over three weeks. These accounts allegedly
connect occupants with properties for a one-time fee.

As of Friday, Spotlight on Maryland has identified nine properties in
Baltimore County and Baltimore City where similar social media users are mentioned in police reports, listed on alleged fraudulent leases, or names overheard by property owners.

Mayor Scott told Spotlight on Maryland at City Hall over two weeks ago
that there was an �active investigation� into the online accounts
allegedly orchestrating and bragging about making money from selling,
leasing, and connecting individuals to �last resort� or squatter houses.

ALSO READ | Social media-fueled squatting schemes may be linked to
organized crime, officials warn

Del. Ryan Nawrocki, R-Baltimore County, and Del. Kathy Szeliga, R-
Baltimore County, sent a letter to Baltimore County Executive Kathy
Klausmeier and Baltimore County State�s Attorney Scott Shellenberger,
demanding arrests and a crackdown on online squatter networks.

�We are writing to request action to combat the recent rise of squatters
in Baltimore County,� the state legislators wrote. �It is both a nuisance
and a threat to the community when unauthorized people live in homes on
fake leases made up by scam artists.�

We ask that these scammers be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law
for their crimes so that they can send a message to anyone considering
entering a squatter�s ring in Baltimore County,� Del. Nawrocki and Del.
Szeliga added.
Neither County Executive Klausmeier nor State�s Attorney Shellenberger�s
office responded late Friday night to Spotlight on Maryland�s request for comment.

According to online court records reviewed on Friday night by Spotlight on Maryland, the name of the alleged unauthorized male occupant of
Bartholomew�s property corresponds to an individual with the same birthday
who has had multiple encounters with law enforcement dating back to
January 2008.

The man was most recently charged in September 2024 with obstruction, disorderly conduct, failure to obey a lawful order, and fraudulently
providing false identification to avoid prosecution, court records show.
The matter was placed on the city�s stet docket in October 2024, which
means formal court action is indefinitely paused.

ALSO READ | 'Active investigation': Baltimore leaders vow accountability
for online squatter networks

In July 2023, the man was charged with fourth-degree burglary of a
dwelling, malicious destruction of property, failure to obey a lawful
order, and possession of non-cannabis drugs. The matter was resolved in Baltimore City Circuit Court with a guilty plea only to the failure to
obey a lawful command, resulting in a sentence of one month and sixteen
days in prison.

Court records further showed that a man with the same name and date of
birth was charged with multiple drug-related offenses, including intent to manufacture and traffic drugs, in August 2020. The man also faced several
gun charges, such as possessing a firearm while trafficking drugs and possession of a firearm by a felon.

After pleading guilty, the man received probation following his conviction
and was sentenced to three years in prison. According to court records,
the judge suspended two years, two months, and five days of the sentence.

Meanwhile, Bartholomew said that local and state laws must change rapidly
to protect every corner of the state.

I think that everybody, regardless of what side of the table you sit on,
we all need to collectively come together and figure this out, or we are
going to continue to start feeling the burnout from your committed
community developers that want to do right,� Bartholomew said.
The property owner said that she also believes those responsible for
organized social media networks connecting individuals to properties
should be held accountable promptly.

�They�re saying they gave somebody $2,800 cash,� Bartholomew said. �The
[social media users] need to be held accountable. They�re only now communicating to the officers through text, saying they�re out of town,
they�re not available to get on the phone.�

ALSO READ | Md. home sale halted as alleged squatters unload moving truck, demand cash for keys

While the man was in police custody, the female occupant continued to live
at the property Friday night. Police told Bartholomew she would need to
resolve the matter through civil action to remove the remaining
individuals.

�Trust and believe I will be making a lot of phone calls and emails to get
this a great attention so we can hopefully get this matter resolved,� Bartholomew said.


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November 5, 2024 - Congratulations President Donald Trump. We look
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We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
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Every day is an IQ test. Some pass, some, not so much.

Thank you for cleaning up the disasters of the 2008-2017, 2020-2024 Obama
/ Biden / Harris fiascos, President Trump.

Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
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