A Florida cop has been sent to the clink, accused of squatting in a dead man's house after responding to a welfare check.
Videos by Wide Open Country
35-year-old Brian Louis Sguros, a police officer in Lauderhill, Florida, was arrested yesterday (Oct. 21). According to Miami outlet WSVN, Sguros is "accused of official misconduct involving an alleged adverse possession scheme," following a months-long investigation.
It all allegedly began back in July 2022, when concerned neighbors called for a welfare check for Dennis Ionis West.
"It was a week, week and a half. He was taking groceries out of his car. He never came back to close the door or take the rest of the groceries out," one neighbor, identified only as Naomi, recalled to WSVN.
Naomi told the outlet she grew concerned about West since he lived alone. She decided to call 911 after not seeing West for some time. She watched as responding officers arrived at West's house.
"They knocked, no answer. The sergeant came; the sergeant opened the front door, and his body was at the front door," she recalled.
Reportedly, Sguros was one of the cops who responded to the call. Investigators claim he returned to the house and eventually illegally took possession of it.
Neighbor Claims Florida Cop Planned to Use Dead Man's Home as a Rental Property
Naomi claims she noticed the cop at the house. However, Sguros allegedly offered up a reason for him to be there.
"He said that that was his friend, and the friend gave him the house before he passed away," she told WSVN.
She also claims Sguros had plans to make the house a rental property. He even allegedly went DIY, remodeling the home's interior.
"And he was working on the house for a good while, and tore down everything on the inside, put up new stuff and everything," she alleged. "Come to find out that he wasn't a part of anything."
The Broward Sheriff's Office's arrest report shed a bit more light on how Sguro allegedly managed to take over the dead man's house. Investigators wrote that Sguros "paid the taxes and utilities at the home in West's name [...] and used West's identification... to get the city of Lauderhill to issue a permit to facilitate repairs."
He also allegedly forged West's signature and other necessary documents.
He's currently locked up at Broward County Main Jail. Meanwhile, the Lauderhill Police Department has placed him on administrative leave without pay as his case plays out.
