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Man charged with burglary after allegedly squatting in vacationing couple's home
A man has been charged with burglary after allegedly squatting in the home of a South San Francisco couple and causing several thousand dollars damage while the homeowners were on vacation.
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - A man was charged with burglary after allegedly squatting in the home of a South San Francisco couple and causing several thousand dollars damage while they were on vacation.
He didn't steal anything but he was seen rifling about the homeowner's cabinets, left a huge mess and didn't even drain the tub after taking a bath inside.
And most of it was captured on video.
The odd situation unfolded Saturday, when a pet sitter showed up to the South San Francisco home on Lassen Street.
When she got there, 43-year-old Levi Joe Smith, of Forestville, emphatically claimed that he was the owner of the house and the pet sitter was at the wrong address, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.
The pet sitter called the homeowners, who reported it to the police.
A man allegedly broke into a South San Francisco home and squatted there for 14 hours.
In an interview, the homeowner, who did not want to be identified, said Smith squatted for more than 14 hours.
"He helped himself to all areas of the house," he said.
Surveillance video shows Smith helping himself to food, clothing and other items from the home.
"Of course, he didn't clean up any of the mess," he said. "He actually took a bath in our bathtub. He didn't even have the courtesy to drain the tub."
Neighbors were also shocked.
"It feels really alarming because we hope to be not scared of the area," said Franchesca Buendria, a next-door neighbor.
Once police went inside, they said it looks like Smith "forced entry" to get inside the house. Police called the home's landline and Smith answered, giving a false name, prosecutors said.
When police got inside the home, they found trash and food waste were strewn about. An estimated $20,000 in damages had been done to the interior, prosecutors said.
The homeowner said he rushed home as soon as he heard about the break-in. He said Smith did not steal anything, despite the mess.
At the home, Smith allegedly took out a knife and threatened officers, authorities said.
Officers said they used de-escalation tactics for hours, including crisis negotiators to try to get the suspect to come out. Smith eventually surrendered.
"I think there's a lot of chapters left to write in this story because the way he conducted himself was both with anger, but there appears to be some mental component to this," said San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
During his initial felony arraignment Monday, Smith refused to leave jail and go to court. He again refused to come to court Tuesday and a judge appointed the county's Private Defender Program to represent him. A defense attorney entered a not guilty plea to the charges against Smith and his bail was set at $75,000, according to the District Attorney's Office.
He will return to court on July 31 for a preliminary hearing.
A man is charged with breaking into a South San Francisco home and hanging out there for 14 hours.
Bay City News contributed to this report.