A California man was found living secretly in the crawl space of a condominium in Oregon, according officials, who say the man had outfitted the space with a bed, electricity, and other amenities.
Lights dangled from overhead, a fan was placed at one end of the room, and a television was also found hanging on a beam when Clackamas County sheriff‘s deputies made the discovery Wednesday, according to an official statement.
“He had taken significant steps to improve the conditions of the crawl space and was obviously living inside,” the statement read.
The man, Benjamin Bucur, 40, had allegedly run an extension cord through a vent to provide lighting and power for his electronic devices.
Deputies discovered the makeshift living space in an unincorporated area of Clackamas County, near Portland.
Deputies were contacted after 11 p.m. by a witness who told deputies they had spotted a man parking his car and walking behind a building. The witness said they did not believe the man lived in the complex.
The resident followed Bucur and found a door to a crawl space open, and light coming from inside. Then someone closed the door.
Officials said the owner told deputies nobody was supposed to be living in that area, and no lights had been set up in the crawlspace.
The owner had also noticed strange noises coming from the area in the past, but had not taken steps to investigate.
Deputies breached the locked door and found Bucur inside, along with a bed, lights, chargers, TV and other electronic equipment.
A pipe with white residue, which tested positive for methamphetamine, was also found, according to the statement.
Bucur appears to have lived in California in the past, according to a previous arrest.
A former resident of Patterson, in the San Joaquin Valley, Bucur was convicted in May 2010 on charges of burglary and auto theft, according to a statement from the Stanislaus County district attorney’s office.
Bucur had been stopped the previous month by a police officer in a car that had been reported stolen. The officer found laptops, computer monitors, jewelry and a PlayStation in the car.
Bucur told the officer he had stolen his friend’s car in San Jose and planned to drive to Los Angeles, where he planned sell the stolen property. He was sentenced to two years in prison at the time.
After discovering the crawlspace, deputies booked Bucur at Clackamas County Jail on suspicion of burglary and possession of methamphetamine. According to the sheriff’s office, his bail was set at $75,000.
The post California man found to be living secretly in condominium crawl space appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
