A Maryland woman returned home from vacation to find two strangers in her bed and more than $49,000 in possessions stolen.
The unnamed woman from Greenbelt approached her residence on April 5 to find that the front door had been damaged. She then walked inside to find all of her furniture and about $49,100 worth of possessions missing from the premises. A woman and man were discovered in the woman's bed, the only remaining piece of furniture, the Greenbelt Police Department said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
"The suspects stated they took all of their property and became aggressive with the victims before fleeing on foot in an unknown direction," the police department said.
When the woman and her friend left for vacation on March 28, the apartment had been "fully furnished." Upon their return, they found the whole house in disorder.
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"The living room was completely empty except for black trash bags filled with items, trash on the walls, the kitchen was completely empty and the cabinet doors were missing, the second bedroom was completely empty, the closets were completely empty and the bedroom was empty except for the bed the suspects were lying on," the police said.
"Not only were they in my home, but everything in my home was gone except for my bed because he details how he loved my bed so much," the woman told Fox 5, referring to the man who had been squatting at her house. The woman told the outlet that she asked for his identity and he responded by informing her that she hadn't paid her rent.
When the woman attempted to leave the room, the man tackled her and told her that she could have her apartment back, but she was not allowed to call the police. The woman told police that she began filming him as he was gathering up his belongings and explaining how he entered her home, according to the outlet.
"I just couldn't believe this was happening to me. I see this on TV," the woman said. "They really took over my apartment, and I was just trying to remain calm. But at the same time, I just couldn't believe this was happening to me. I come home and literally two people are in my bed relaxing."
The police department was made aware that the man informed the woman that he planned to do this again at another apartment, according to the outlet.
While Maryland does not have a "Stand Your Ground" law, more than 20 states, including Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and Texas, do. Other states have a similar law called a "castle doctrine," which allows people to stand their ground with deadly force as long as their is "reasonable fear of imminent peril or great bodily harm." A Florida sheriff defended a homeowner who shot at a burglar and encouraged local homeowners to enroll in a gun safety course.
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The Washington Examiner reached out to the Greenbelt Police Department for a statement but did not receive a response.