Two Arrested After Allegedly Squatting In Hillendale Home

Baltimore County Police have arrested a man and a woman who they say were illegally living in a Hillendale home.

Sara Steward, 34, and John McDermott, 25, who both listed an address in the 9800 block of Harford Road at the time of their arrest, were jailed after being charged with fourth-degree burglary.

The pair allegedly lived in a home in the 8000 block of Hillendale Road under a fraudulent lease, according to Baltimore County Police Department spokeswoman Cpl. Cathleen Batton.

"We got the complaint back in the second week of September. When the officers went out to investigate the house, the two people living in the house actually had a lease and the house was owned by the bank," Batton said. "So the officers kept investigating and they were able to determine that the lease was fraudulent."

Batton said both Steward and McDermott were then arrested when warrants were served against them. Each has been charged with fourth-degree burglary and trespassing.

Batton said that at the time the warrant was served, Steward was already being held at the Baltimore County Detention Center on four counts of fourth-degree burglary and four counts of theft.

"She was originally arrested on October 12," Batton said. "[Police] had a series of cases where she was taking lawn furniture away from other homes. She'd been in jail since that time and the investigating officer obtained a warrant related to the trespassing."

A search of online court records shows that Steward was charged for allegedly stealing the lawn furniture on Oct. 10 and charged for allegedly squatting at the Hillendale Road address on Oct. 19. She is being held at the detention center on $25,000 bond in the theft case and $10,000 bond in the squatting case.

Records also show two other active criminal cases pending against Steward for one count of theft, and one count of theft along with possession of drugs and paraphernalia. Those cases were filed in July and August.

McDermott was arrested on Oct. 22 and has since been released on $75,000 bond, Batton said. 

Since his release, he has not returned to the Hillendale Road address, she said.

Online court records show that show that McDermott was also charged for possession of drugs and paraphernalia back in September.