Tuesday, May 15, 2018
Homeless men found living inside vacant house
Lawrenceburg Now
A man who had been squatting at an empty house on Third Street in Lawrenceburg last week told officers that he and another man had been staying there because they were homeless.
The owner of the home reported to Lawrenceburg Police officers that he feared that someone had been manufacturing drugs inside his property. When they checked the house the discovered that someone had placed a mattress in the living room and had left clothing, personal belongings and food there.
Once they conducted a search of the home, officers found a man hiding inside a closet in a downstairs bathroom. He was identified as Ricky Gene Burks, age 42.
Burks told officers that he had been staying at the house with another man. He said they were homeless, and that they had been staying there several days.
A door had been destroyed on the home. Reports indicate that approximately $500 worth of damage had been done.
Burks was taken to the Lawrence County Detention Center where he was booked on charges of vandalism and aggravated criminal trespassing. He was also booked on two outstanding warrants for violation of probation and violating the state sex offender registry law. His bond was set at $4,000.
Burks is scheduled to appear in Lawrence County General Sessions Court on June 7, 2018.
