Police arrested an Indianapolis man after they say he broke into a house in Greenwood, changed the locks and lived there for nearly two weeks.
Robert S. Allen, 54, was arrested on charges of burglary — a Level 4 Felony — and fraud.
The Greenwood Police Department responded just before 9 p.m. Monday to a call from a man who said someone he did not know was inside a relative’s house in the 300 block of Campus Lane, according to a Greenwood Police Department report.
The man told police his relative had been out of town for 10 days, and he noticed an unfamiliar car in the driveway when he drove by. When his wife knocked on the door, Allen answered and told her he had owned the house since 1973. They both told police they did not know Allen, and neither did any other family members, the report said.
When officers arrived, Allen opened the door to the house. He said it was “nobody’s house,” and he had lived there since 1973. He then told the officer the gas and light company moved him in to replace a gas line, according to the report.
He provided fake documents to show he owned the house, the report said.
The papers looked fraudulent because some documents were from 2005, written in pen and nothing was notarized, police said. Officers noted in the report they knew Allen was lying because the subdivision was fairly new, and the house was less than a year old.
Allen was escorted out of the house, and the owner arrived at the scene. He told police he bought the house in February, and provided documentation to prove it. He also said he did not know Allen, nor did he give him permission to stay there, according to the report.
Allen continued to tell police he lived at the house since 1973, and said the neighborhood was not new. He then changed his story, and told police he had lived at the house for the past week, the report said.
He proceeded to tell officers he moved the houses in the neighborhood from California, and he operated the company that owned all of them, according to the report.
When asked how he got inside, Allen said he called a lock smith claiming he needed in the house to change a gas line. The lock smith unlocked the doors for him and changed all the locks, the report said.
A neighbor told police Monday she noticed Allen at the house about two weeks ago. He would sit in his car outside for two to three hours straight, then go inside the house each day, according to the report.
The owner inspected the home, and nothing was reported missing or damaged. A few of Allen’s personal items were found inside. Police later determined Allen frequently stayed at a homeless shelter in Indianapolis, the report said.
Police seized the house keys from Allen and arrested him. He was taken to the Johnson County jail, where he is held on $7,800 bond.
