Man Causes $20,000 in Damage, Faces Standoff with SWAT in Vacationing Couple's San Mateo Home

A vacationing couple's South San Francisco home became the site of a bizarre incident, as an alleged squatter caused an estimated $20,000 in damages to the interior before being arrested following a standoff with a SWAT team, according to a CBS News report.

The couple had hired a pet sitter to visit their property, and upon entering their Lassen Street home, the sitter found 43-year-old Levi Joe Smith of Forestville, who claimed to be the owner and insisted she was at the wrong address, as SFGate reported. The sitter then contacted the true homeowners, who reported the situation to the police.

 

Levi Joe Smith held by @SSFPolice after standoff, charged by @SanMateoCoDA w/burglary & resisting for allegedly squatting in home while owners were away, rifling through cabinets, taking bath without draining tub & telling cat sitter she was at wrong home, @AmberKTVU reports pic.twitter.com/TSHFmnEr7t

— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) July 20, 2023

 

South San Francisco police arrived at the scene and found evidence of forced entry; they called the home's landline, and Smith picked up, giving a false name, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office. As the situation escalated, Smith allegedly brandished a knife and threatened the officers, leading to a two-hour standoff which ended with a SWAT team arresting him.

Upon entering the home, officers found trash and food waste scattered throughout, and the estimated damages to the interior amounted to nearly $20,000. Smith refused to leave jail and appear in court for his initial felony arraignment, causing the judge to appoint the county's Private Defender Program to represent him; a defense attorney entered a not guilty plea for Smith, and his bail was set at $75,000, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, as reported by SFGate.

A tweet from Henry Lee KTVU detailed some of Smith's alleged actions in the home, including rifling through cabinets, taking a bath without draining the tub, and even telling the cat sitter she was at the wrong home.

Smith is set to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on July 31, as mentioned in the CBS News article, bringing some closure to a vacationing couple's unexpected encounter with an unwelcome houseguest.