A Hollis woman was indicted by a Queens grand jury on charges of burglary, criminal trespass and other related crimes for illegally occupying a single-family home in Howard Beach.
Laurel Bay, 49, of 198th Street, was arraigned Thursday in Queens Supreme Court on a five-count indictment for allegedly squatting in a house on 99th Street that had been vacant since 2012, with the homeowner managing the property from out of state.
According to the charges, on the night of July 18, an eyewitness saw Bay moving items into and out of the home and reported the activity to the NYPD. Police from the 106th Precinct in Ozone Park responded to the home and observed Bay coming out of the front door of the home. She was taken into custody and issued a desk appearance ticket for criminal trespass.
Several days later, on July 21, at around 9:20 a.m., the same witness observed items moved around inside the home and the basement door open. When police returned to the property, they saw Bay crawl out of a basement window. She was arrested again and issued a second desk appearance ticket for criminal trespass.
It was later determined that the front and back doors of the house were damaged as Bay allegedly tried to change the locks.
“It is against the law to walk into someone else’s home without permission and claim you have the right to stay — even if the property is vacant,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “This defendant is accused of illegally trespassing onto someone else’s property and trying to claim the home as her own.”
In addition to burglary and criminal trespass, Bay was also charged with criminal mischief, petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.
“Thanks to the vigilance of nearby neighbors, my office was promptly alerted and the defendant has now been indicted on serious charges,” Katz said.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Toni Cimino ordered Bay to return to court on Nov. 26. If convicted of the top count, Bay faces a potential maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.