Family returns home from visiting dying relative to find stranger has moved into their house, changed all the locks and claimed it as HIS under obscure Ohio law

Robert Carr defies authorities and seizes ‘abandoned’ Ohio homes
Carr has been charged with breaking and entering in one of the cases, but he’s fighting the charge
Homes are taken by Carr who is a 'sovereign citizen', who believes he can pick and choose which laws to obey, particularly particularly tax and property laws

PUBLISHED: 17:59 EST, 30 November 2013 | UPDATED: 20:05 EST, 30 November 2013

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A family Ohio were in for a nasty surprised after they returned from a visit out-of-town visit to a dying relative to find someone else had moved into their house.

Their outrage has now turned into a court battle, pitting them against a man who says he has the court documents to prove the house is now his.

Robert Carr moved into the home that had been occupied for 21 years, changed the locks and emptied the house.

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Robert Carr: He filed 'quiet titles' on these properties, saying he has a right to claim them because the families who previously occupied the homes have forfeited their rights of ownership because they abandoned the property

Under new owners: This is just one of the $130,000 homes that Robert Carr has possessed under his 'sovereign' rights and used a 'quiet title'

When the family confronted Carr, he showed them a document he filed with the the County Court.

It's called a 'quiet title' and lays claim to the property because Carr says the family abandoned the house and gave up all their rights.

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The family members have said they are too afraid to be identified.

'What he's looking for is full title and ownership of the home,' the family's attorney, Alison Warner, said.

Wreckless: The former family who used to live in this home say their lives have been turned upside down by Carrs' actions

Carr expects to pay nothing to keep the home.

'He's in their home. They don't know when he's there. He can be there now,' Warner said.

WLWT has uncovered 11 other instances where Carr has filed the same paperwork. Seven of the cases were filed on the same day.

'When you abandon a property and don't want anything to do with it, somebody can come in and take it,'' Carr WLWT.

'I have a team of people who go out and I say make sure the house is empty. If it's empty, change the locks,' Carr said. 'Anybody can do it.'

The family from Springfield who don't want to be identified say they feel violated. 'I'm very scared, you know, because I never know if somebody's going to be here,' the homeowner said.

Their attorney told Johnson the legal fight is adding to a painful year for the family.

Making sense in his world: Robert Carr went into the home , changed the locks and emptied the house. The family said when they confronted Carr, he showed them a document he filed with the Hamilton County Court

Court documents: Carr has filed for ownership of 11 'abandoned' homes in the area. Seven were applied for in court on the same day

'SOVEREIGN CITIZENS' - A LAW UNTO THEMSELVES

They could be dismissed as a nuisance, a loose network of individuals living in the United States who call themselves “sovereign citizens” and believe that federal, state, and local governments operate illegally. Some of their actions, although quirky, are not crimes. The offenses they do commit seem minor, like creating false license plates, driver’s licenses, and even currency.

However, a closer look at sovereign citizens’ more severe crimes, from financial scams to impersonating or threatening law enforcement officials, gives reason for concern. If someone challenges (e.g., a standard traffic stop for false license plates) their ideology, the behavior of these sovereign-citizen extremists quickly can escalate to violence. Since 2000, lone-offender sovereign-citizen extremists have killed six law enforcement officers. In 2010, two Arkansas police officers stopped sovereign-citizen extremists Jerry Kane and his 16-year-old son Joseph during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 40. Joseph Kane jumped out of the vehicle and opened fire with an AK-47 assault rifle, killing both officers.

The sovereign-citizen threat likely will grow as the nationwide movement is fueled by the Internet, the economic downturn, and seminars held across the country that spread their ideology and show people how they can tap into funds and eliminate debt through fraudulent methods. As sovereign citizens’ numbers grow, so do the chances of contact with law enforcement and, thus, the risks that incidents will end in violence. Law enforcement and judicial officials must understand the sovereign-citizen movement, be able to identify indicators, and know how to protect themselves from the group’s threatening tactics.

Carr has been charged with breaking and entering in one case of disputed ownership but he is even fighting that charge.

Quiet title actions are used to determine who legally holds the title to property, because real estate may sometimes change hands frequently, and the lawsuits can help remove clouds over claims of ownership.

The suits are also used by so-called sovereign citizens, who believe they alone get to decide which laws to obey – particularly tax and property laws — based on what they determine to be the founding fathers’ intent.

The antigovernment movement has grown in recent years and is rooted in the anti-Semitic, anti-black and anti-tax Posse Comitatus movement of the 1970s and 1980s.

Most recent recruits to the sovereign citizens movement found themselves in desperate situations, often due to the economy or foreclosure, and are drawn to the idea of easy money or living free of legal consequences.

Sovereign citizens are becoming well-known by the courts for filing astronomical liens against banks, attorneys and government employees.

While these are usually unsuccessful, they can be expensive to fight and take a long time to resolve.

The FBI has been informed about the case but won't comment on the specifics.

'They'll come together as groups to receive training, how to conduct some of these schemes from a financial standpoint, to understand what they consider the common law and how they can use that common law for their sovereign purposes,'

The family in Springdale called the court fight a nightmare.

'It's really been hard,' the homeowner said.

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cyberella, corpus christi, United States, 5 hours ago

Obama's Amerika.

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Angela, San Francisco California, 5 hours ago

This is insane! If this is the logic he's using then anyone on vacation or at the grocery store can lose their home. At the very least this idiot should have to pay something. Hard working people are losing their homes and this snake just picks them up

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Kate, Southern US, 5 hours ago

There has to be more to the story. Is the family afraid to go to the police? What about the neighbors? How long was the family gone? If I came home after vacation. And someone was in my house...I sure as heck wouldn't walk away. I'd be in the house calling the police and nothing would make me leave. My neighbors would vouch for me. Mortgage payments current. All utilities current and in my name. I don't see how this can happen.

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RC2035, STL, 5 hours ago

This is horrible. The laws clearly need to change to accommodate the heartless, greedy, thoughtless, and selfish people in this country who always want and feel they are entitled to things that don't belong to them. Ugh.

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lisa, usa, 5 hours ago

I'm confused. It doesn't say how long they were out of town. So if I live in Ohio and go to the store to get milk someone can claim my home as theirs?

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joblessbum, Santa rosa - usa, 5 hours ago

How can crap like these go on in this country? I hope he gets his house back and the other guy gets free room and board from the state for a long time.