JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A woman accused of squatting in a Jacksonville home more than a year ago has agreed to plead guilty and pay restitution to the homeowner.
The plea agreement was made public at a court appearance Monday; however, Judge Julie Taylor said she would need more time to consider whether she would approve the agreement.
More than a year ago, the I-TEAM exposed a loophole in the law that allowed two women to live rent-free in a home in the Hogan’s Creek neighborhood for weeks, while the property owner wasn’t allowed inside.
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One of the accused squatters was arrested in April and charged with criminal mischief and trespassing.
Please note that News4JAX is not naming the woman because the charges she’s facing are misdemeanors.
Patti Peeples and her business partner were in the process of selling their vacant rental home last March when the defendant moved in, claiming she had been a victim of a rental scam. Police records show she told the same story when she was discovered living at a nearby property before being evicted there after several months.
“She created enormous emotional and psychological damage by turning my life upside down by squatting in my home,” Peeples said in court Monday.
Because the defendant claimed she was the victim, she was allowed to stay in Peeples’ house rent-free for weeks as the case moved through the civil court system. In the meantime, Peeples wasn’t allowed inside.
After the women were evicted, Peeples found the house with significant damage.
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After her first court hearing in May, the defendant denied being involved when she was questioned by the I-TEAM.
But in court Monday, it was revealed the defense and prosecution had come to a plea agreement, proposing the defendant plead guilty, receive 12 months of probation, and pay the homeowner about $3,600 in restitution.
“I don’t feel as if that I am a criminal. When I was approached with all the information about Ms. Patti and her house, I cooperated with the police to the full extent. And when I say full extent, I mean full extent,” the defendant said.
She also noted that she called the police herself. She told the officer she was a victim of a rental scam, but he suspected she was the scammer.
“I do feel significantly bad, because when I did see the damage, it was just like, whoa, wow...and again, that is not me as a person. So I just wanted to let you know, again that I do apologize not to only you, but to Ms. Patti for what she has to go through. And that’s all I really wanted to say because I felt like I was being looked at in a bad way. And that’s just not me as a person,” she said.
To Peeples, the apology rang hollow.
“Mostly what I heard was that she felt like her voice had not been heard. In fact, if you look at any of the videos that have been provided, it’s mostly her voice that we hear...with her indicating that she has every right to be in a house that she stole. So that’s the kind of apology that I would like to hear,” Peeples said.
The judge said she’s not prepared to approve the plea deal just yet.
Judge Julie Taylor said she needs time to learn more about the case before deciding whether to accept the proposed plea agreement.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Thursday. Judge Taylor said she hopes an officer involved will be able to appear to share his perspective.
The News4JAX I-TEAM’s investigations and the story of Patti Peeples inspired the unanimous passage of a new state law to combat squatting.
The new law, which went into effect eight days ago, now allows law enforcement to immediately remove someone from a home if they don’t have a valid lease.