MIAMI SHORES, Fla. — A Broward County man squatted inside a Miami Shores home for days before he was discovered and arrested, police said. According to arrest documents, the property is owned by the wife of well-known South Florida sports media personality Dan Le Batard.
According to the Miami Shores Police Department, officers responded around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday to a home for an “assist citizen” call.
An arrest report states a woman who works at the home told officers she noticed belongings inside that did not belong to the homeowner, Valerie Le Batard.
The report states that the woman also found a bedroom door upstairs locked, which she said was “unusual,” and asked officers to check the home.
Police said the employee also had a locksmith previously change the locks to the home.
Officers searched the home and did not find anyone inside, but said they discovered “clothing, a makeshift bed, food in the refrigerator, and other miscellaneous personal items.”
While officers remained at the scene, they said a silver sedan pulled into the driveway.
The driver, Diego Alejandro Escobar Ortega, 37, of Weston, initially told officers he was the homeowner and said he entered the house through a window, according to the report.
Police said Escobar Ortega was read his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with investigators. He was unable to provide documentation or other proof that he owned the home or had permission to be there, authorities said.
According to the report, Escobar Ortega told officers that he had been moving into the home for about two days and had been entering through unlocked windows despite not having keys.
Valerie Le Batard told police she did not recognize Escobar Ortega, had not given him permission to be on the property, and wants to press charges, the report states.
Local 10 News obtained video of the moments police arrested Escobar Ortega, who continued to claim he owned the house for 20 to 30 years, even after being handcuffed and after an officer told him that the home was sold in 2020.
Dan Le Batard spoke about the incident on his radio show Thursday.
“There are a bunch of doorknobs in there, and I’m like why are there doorknobs in there?” he said. “That squatter was preparing to fully occupy my house.”
Escobar Ortega, a Colombian national, was arrested and charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling.
As of Thursday, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $7,500 bond. He was also ordered to stay away from the victim’s property.
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