POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Two men were arrested in Lakeland on Tuesday after allegedly squatting in a vacant home and causing damage to the property.
The incident unfolded when a deputy responded to a fire at a residence on Idaho Avenue. Upon investigation, the deputy discovered that two men, 50-year-old Luis Manuel Esquivel and 48-year-old Miguel Angel Gomez Pena, were occupying the home without permission.
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The homeowner confirmed that he did not know the men and had not given them permission to be on the property. The house lacked electricity and running water, and further inspection revealed approximately $600 in damages and theft.
Esquivel and Gomez Pena were arrested and booked into the Polk County Jail on charges of burglary, grand theft, and criminal mischief.
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