Blotter: Man charged after squatting in downtown apartment

Published 6:07 pm Monday, December 7, 2020

By Shavonne Potts

shavonne.potts@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — A local man found sleeping inside a downtown apartment property now faces breaking and entering, according to Salisbury Police.

Police charged David Lucas Dyson, 30, with misdemeanor breaking and entering when a neighbor complained of hearing a noise from a nearby empty apartment in the 100 block of West Fisher Street.

The neighbor said it sounded as though someone was moaning in pain. The neighbor said he’d been there for two years and wasn’t aware that anyone lived next door, said Capt. Melonie Thompson.

An officer arrived to find the door unlocked and located someone sitting in a chair. There was trash, food boxes and clothing in the apartment. The officer inquired as to whether the man, later identified as Dyson, was OK.

Dyson told the officer he was fine but sometimes he made noises in his sleep.

The officer inquired as to what he was doing there. Dyson told the officer he often stayed there with others who were previously in the apartment. The officer noted he had a power cord that ran from the roof to provide power to a microwave.

Dyson said he would speak with the owner but could not provide the officer with the name of the owner. He was asked to gather his belongings and leave. Thompson said the officer was able to contact the owner who said he wanted to press charges. However, Dyson had already left.

Dyson was charged Sunday and remains in the Rowan County Detention Center under a $500 secured bond.

In other Salisbury Police Department reports

• A man reported on Friday he was a victim of vandalism while in the 1000 block of Mooresville Road.

• A woman reported on Friday she was the victim of a rental property scam in the 300 block of Ashbrook Road.

• A man reported on Friday he was the victim of an assault following a domestic assault while in the 600 block of Hamilton Drive.

• A man reported on Sunday someone broke into an outbuilding on a lot in the 700 block of West Jake Alexander Boulevard.

• A man reported on Sunday storage units were broken into and one had several TVs that were stolen at Olympic Crown Storage, 915 Bendix Drive.

• A man reported on Sunday he was the victim of a break-in at the Holly Leaf Apartment complex, 2205 Woodleaf Road.

In Rowan County Sheriff’s Office reports

• HEMAR Concrete reported on Thursday someone stole a concrete saw worth $1,400 from a job site in the 7400 block of Statesville Boulevard.

• Anthony Wayne Pruitt, 41, was charged on Thursday with felony tampering or interfering with an electronic monitoring device while at the Rowan County Detention Center.