Local and federal officials are looking into claims that possible ‘squatters’ were living in a Hillman Way apartment that had been rented through the Department of Housing and Urban Development for a military veteran.
      Last week, on Wed., Oct. 23, police went to 4200 Hillman Way, apt. 11, where a woman, who said she was an employee of the Veterans Administration “and/or” the Department of Housing and Urban Development, told police federal funds were paying for a military veteran to live in the apartment.
      Lt. John Allsopp said he was told federal guidelines are “strict in the sense that no one else [but the military veteran] is authorized to live there.”
      The VA/HUD employee told Lt. Allsopp the veteran had been “MIA for some time now” and when she went to the apartment last week for a welfare check, she discovered four squatters were staying there.
      One woman told Lt. Allsopp the four people had permission to move into the apartment, and the veteran was “staying with family in the Leetonia area.”
      According to Lt. Allsopp, the woman said she had permission to stay in the apartment, and had invited three friends to come and stay with her.
      All four ‘squatters’ were issued criminal trespass warnings and escorted off the property.
      The VA/HUD employee told police there were “multiple signs of illegal drug activity in plain view [at the apartment], but upon officers’ arrival on the scene, the apartment had been cleaned of any and all visible needles.”
      In addition, the VA/HUD employee told Lt. Allsopp that she believed the veteran may have committed a felony federal crime of illegally taking VA/HUD benefits, then turning around and profiting from them further by renting out [his apartment].”