Homeowners deal with squatters in homes under construction in South Nashville

By Sharon Danquah

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    NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WSMV) — Some South Nashville homeowners are warning to keep a close eye on homes under construction. It’s something one couple believes may be a growing issue.

It’s something one couple believes may become a growing issue. People have been sneaking into homes under construction and staying there. One couple said they found a man staying in their home for days.

“I thought, ‘what in the world?’” said Troy Walls a South Nashville homeowner who has been dealing with this experience.

For Troy it was a scene he said he’ll never forget.

“It was about 12:30 or so at night and my dog was throwing a fit,” Troy said.

While gearing up to work on a home he’s remodeled for nearly a year, Troy said he began to worry.

“He does that when there are animals, but then I noticed he was at the back of the house barking at the door at the top,” Troy said. “I’m thinking an animal probably got in, but not knowing what kind of animal it was, I went grabbed the pistol.”

After Troy sent his dog upstairs, he turned to his car, and when he did that he said his heart dropped.

“This time I was pretty vocal when I opened the door and let the dog back in. I said ‘go get em,’ and he shot up the stairs and started barking pretty aggressively,” Troy said.

Troy said he heard a voice come back that said “get your dog off, I’ll come down.”

“You just have this moment where your heart just jumps into your throat and you’re like ‘oh my gosh where is this going?’” Troy said.

Troy said he found a man set up with a blanket in his upstairs bedroom. That’s when he said he pointed a gun at the man and used a number of words to let him know he needed to leave and never come back.

“He pretty much told me he had been sleeping in other houses in the neighborhood,” Troy said.

Walls and his wife Kelly turned to Facebook and posted about the experience in a neighborhood group to alert the neighbors and that’s when comments started rolling in.

“A girl messaged me saying ‘he’s come to my house too’ and sent me pictures of him on her property. And another neighbor next door said she saw him trying to get in her shed,” Kelly said.

On Dec. 5, the Walls experienced the break-in again.

“That’s when I called the cops because I was thinking what if Troy is met with this guy again,” Kelly said.

The Walls said officers told them this seems to be a growing issue, but this time the man was stopped by more secure locks.

“With all of the construction around town and our neighborhood growing really fast, it definitely makes you think a little different now,” Troy said. “You drive down the road thinking, ‘oh that’s a nice house going up in the neighborhood,’ but now you drive by thinking I wonder who’s in there,” Troy said.

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