Dwayne Carlton has been in the real estate business for nearly 20 years. He says all a squatter has to have today is a little computer know how to research property owner addresses and a little knowledge of the area he wants to live in.

"I could see where that could happen. Obviously Marion County is a large county and it tends to be rural. I'm sure you could go find some empty houses out away from everything and maybe not neighbors all around and just move right in."

According to Marion County detectives... that's just what 34-year old Carl Kopsho did.

"After new information came to light detectives discovered Carl Kopsho's report about renting this property was in fact a false statement. He stated to a witness that came forward in this case that he had seen a show on television about squatting and that he was going to try it."

Here's a file statement Kopsho gave last friday.

"Two times i had to be evicted from a home from people that i was paying rent to that did not pay their mortgage. Now here i'm in a house that's not even owned by the guy who says he renting it to me."

Detectives say...that was all a lie.

"He also, if he was caught by law enforcement he would make up a story about a man posing as a landlord."

Kopsho was arrested Friday and quickly posted three thousand dollars bond.
Carlton says maintaining vacant homes shouldn't be that hard.

"If they had some local involvement with a real estate company that was providing that service, you probably wouldn't see that happen."

This isn't Kopsho's first run in with the law.
He has charges going back to 1999 involving writing worthless checks, battery, and domestic violence.

Shani Muhammad WCJB TV 20 news.