Police: Man Arrested for Squatting in Vacationing Stranger's House

A Phoenixville man was arrested on Tuesday after police say he was living in the home of a vacationing Franklin Avenue woman, smoking crack and driving her car, all without her knowledge.

Jesse Ford-Bey, 58, was charged with two counts of criminal trespassing, two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, and a count each of theft by unlawful taking, burglary, receiving stolen property, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

According to court documents, Phoenixville Police were called to Franklin Avenue on October 30 at 1:27 p.m. by a woman who claimed that a man was living inside the home of her vacationing neighbors. She told police she had seen Ford-Bey in the house when she went to check on it.

Police called the home owner, who confirmed that she had given no one permission to live in her home or drive her car.

That afternoon, officers apprehended Ford-Bey on High Street and Marshall Street. During the subsequent search, police found a pipe and a small plastic baggie on his person.

Ford-Bey confessed to living in the house, driving the vehicle, and smoking crack. He faces preliminary hearing on November 8.