Columbus, OH – A routine call about a stray dog led Columbus police to a far stranger discovery last week: a man secretly living inside a vacant apartment.
Around 6:41 p.m. on Sept. 23, officers were dispatched to the 600 block of Kingsford Road after a maintenance worker reported finding a dog inside what was supposed to be an empty unit. When police arrived, they secured the animal and quickly realized the apartment’s first-floor windows had been left open.
Key Points
- Officers responded to a call about a dog found inside a vacant apartment.
- Witnesses said a man had been secretly living there for weeks.
- James Watts was arrested and charged with burglary.
Dog leads officers to trespasser
As officers investigated, they were approached by James Watts, who claimed the dog was his and said he had been searching for it. But witnesses at the scene told police a different story — that Watts had been staying in the vacant residence for several weeks.
Burglary charge filed
Watts was taken into custody and booked at the Franklin County Jail on a single count of burglary. The dog was removed from the apartment and placed in safe custody.
A simple welfare check for a dog ended with an unexpected arrest and a vacant property exposed as an improvised home.