Residents at Grant Terrace Condominium in Grant City say their building has gone from quiet to chaotic, and now the condo board is asking a judge to step in. The board of managers filed a civil lawsuit this week to evict a man it claims has been squatting in a unit at the complex and terrorizing neighbors, accusing him of months of escalating misconduct that it says started with nuisance behavior and ended with a violent confrontation.
According to the complaint, the trouble allegedly stretched over several months and included everything from dealing drugs in common areas and lingering at entrances to tampering with locks. The board says it all boiled over in late June, when a confrontation inside the building led to a police response and the arrest of the man named in the filing, 31-year-old Caleb King.
As detailed in an affidavit cited by the New York Post, King is accused of punching and threatening a resident, including a reported "throat-punch," while yelling, "I'll cut your throat, I'll stab you, get off the phone with 911." The filing states that a SWAT team later entered his apartment and arrested him after the June 28 incident. The civil suit further claims King was repeatedly found unresponsive or impaired in common areas, dealt drugs near building entrances, and meddled with the locks that residents rely on to feel safe.
Building At 100 Colfax Comes With A Paper Trail
Grant Terrace Condominium is the residential complex at 100 Colfax Avenue in Grant City, a property that already appears in prior court decisions and municipal paperwork. A judicial opinion republished on Justia lists the address and parties linked to Grant Terrace, and city tax-commission records show the condominium in open-petition filings. Those existing documents now form part of the public backdrop as the new case moves forward in Richmond County court.
Policy Context: Lawmakers Zero In On Squatting
The Grant Terrace dispute is unfolding while city and state officials are trying to tighten how squatting is tracked and addressed. At City Hall, the Council has introduced a bill that would require quarterly reports on properties where people have been found squatting, according to the New York City Council. In Albany, a separate state Assembly proposal would require NYCHA to investigate and promptly remove squatters from its properties, per the New York State Assembly.
Criminal Charges And Court Dates
In addition to the condo board’s civil case, King is also facing criminal accusations. According to the New York Post, prosecutors have charged him with counts that include aggravated harassment, criminal possession of a weapon, and menacing. The outlet also reports that King was scheduled to appear in court on July 13 in a separate case stemming from an incident in February, and it notes that his record includes prior charges, among them a 2021 DUI. Those criminal matters will play out on a track separate from the Grant Terrace board’s attempt to remove him from the building.
How Civil And Criminal Paths Diverge
The condo board’s lawsuit is a civil action that seeks eviction and potential monetary penalties, which is a different legal process from any criminal prosecution that the district attorney may pursue. The two systems operate under distinct rules and standards of proof. New York’s Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law sets out when someone is considered a squatter rather than a lawful tenant and how property owners can seek to recover possession. The rules on occupancy and removal are laid out in RPAPL §711 on Justia.
Condo officials say they turned to the courts to restore a sense of safety for residents and to stop disruptions they allege began in mid-2025. With both civil and criminal cases now in motion, the future of King’s presence at 100 Colfax Avenue will be decided in the courtroom in the coming weeks.
