Foreclosed house found stripped of fixtures
This is what remains where a fireplace used to sit at a Damascus home. By Dan Tilkin KATU News and KATU.com StaffDAMASCUS, Ore. – Carl Liams specializes in foreclosure real estate – but he had never seen anything like what he found at a Damascus home after the former owners were evicted. His first hint that something was wrong was when he noticed the door bell missing. Once inside, he found the real damage. Everything was stripped out of the house, including the light fixtures, toilets, sinks, appliances and even kitchen cabinets. The fireplace was gone – as was the carpet. "The one thing they did leave, unfortunately, was piles of garbage and a pigeon with clipped wings that I took down to the bird sanctuary," said Liams, of Pete Anderson Realty. Former owners Grigoriy and Inna Volovic Bogoslavets are both facing aggravated theft, criminal mischief and criminal trespass charges for the destruction. The man is set to appear in a Clackamas County courtroom Wednesday while his wife has a Jan. 20 court date. Investigators said the man claims the home at 16037 S.E. Tallina Drive was never finished, but police said a detective spoke to him at the house prior to eviction and the house was not stripped. Reached by phone, his wife referred KATU to her lawyer, who said it was too early to speak about the case. Liams, who discovered the damage two days after the couple's eviction on Nov. 12, said it is the first prosecution for house stripping he's seen. "I'm just happy the prosecutor has decided to go after this guy," he said. "They're starting to see it as a pretty serious matter." He estimates it will take about $100,000 to get the house livable again. The phenomenon of homeowners stripping their former house of valuable items before eviction is nothing new. But this case seemed to take it to a new level, Liams said. So what belongs to the former homeowner and what belongs to the bank? Officials told KATU that something that is bolted to the house, such as cabinets, have to stay with the home. But something that stands alone, such as a refrigerator, can be removed. |
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