DAUGHTER'S UNEXPECTED
DEATH---THIS MOTHER IS
FIGHTING TO SAVE WHAT LITTLE
SHE CAN AFTER SQUATTERS MOVED IN
TO HER HOME.
BY THE TIME A JUDGE GRANTED
AN EVICTION---THE SQUATTERS TOOK
OFF----BUT NOT BEFORE TAKING THE
DEAD WOMAN'S CAR, CLOTHES, AND
FURNITURE....
CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE
REPORTER ERIC ROSS UNCOVERED
COLORADO SPRINGS POLICE KNEW
ABOUT THE SQUATTING
SITUATION....
BUT DID NOTHING TO HELP THE
VICTIM'S FAMILY.
ERIC--
THREE MONTHS AFTER WENDY
CLARK PASSED AWAY----POLICE
STILL REFUSE TO TAKE A REPORT
FOR HER MISSING CAR...THE
VANDALISM AND DRUG PARAPHERNELIA
INSIDE HER HOME AFTER THE
SQUATTERS LEFT.
TONIGHT---HER GRIEIVING
MOTHER IS LEFT CLEANING UP THE
MESS.
"WE LOST A DAUGHTER.
WE LOST A MOTHER.
WE'VE LOST A SISTER AND NOTHING
IS BEING DONE.
WE NEED HELP.
WE NEED HELP!"
WENDY CLARK DIED IN OCTOBER...
OF NATURAL CAUSES.
"SHE WAS A REAL SWEETHEART.
SHE WAS A REALLY CLASSY GIRL."
AFTER WENDY'S DEATH, HER MOTHER
- GERRY - WENT TO HER HOME TO GO
THROUGH HER BELONGINGS...
TO HER SURPRISE....RANDOM PEOPLE
WERE LIVING INSIDE.
THROUGH COURT RECORDS...WE
IDENTIFIED ONE OF THE SQUATTERS
AS
JACK COLE....A REPEAT FELON WITH
A LONG RAP SHEET!
"SHE DIED OCT.
16 AND WE'RE GOING INTO
FEBRUARY.
HE HAS BEEN LIVING THERE FOR
FREE ALL THESE MONTHS, USING HER
CAR AND I DON'T KNOW
WHERE THAT IS ANYMORE---THAT'S
DISAPPEARED."
NEWS FIVE INVESTIGATES UNCOVERED
AFTER WENDY PASSSED
AWAY----COLORADO SPRINGS POLICE
WERE CALLED TO HER HOME 19 TIMES
BETWEEN NOVEMBER AND JANUARY....
THE CALLS RANGED FROM
BURGLARY...THEFT...GRAFFITI....T
RESPA SSING...AND EVEN AN
OVERDOSE.
YET THE ONLY ARREST MADE
INVOLVED THIS SQUATTER WHO HAD
AN OUTSTANDING WARRANT IN
PUEBLO.
POLICE TOLD GERRY IF SHE WANTED
THE REMAINING SQUATTERS
GONE---SHE HAD TO EVICT THEM.
WE'VE HAD TO HIRE ATTORNEYS AND
WE NEED SOME HELP AND THE POLICE
CAN'T HELP US AT ALL---IT'S
PATHETIC.
WE PAY TAXES, WE ARE CITIZENS,
WHY
CAN'T SOMEONE HELP US? I JUST
DON'T UNDERSTAND.
AS GERRY TOOK HER FIGHT TO
COURT...."JACK COLE" WAS
ENJOYING WENDY'S HOME,,,
EVEN POSTING THIS PICTURE ON
FACEBOOK TWO MONTHS AFTER HER
DEATH.
IT WAS TAKEN INSIDE WENDY'S
LIVING ROOM WITH THE CAPTION
"RELAXING
DAY WITH THE COWBOYS".
"AT CHRISTMAS TIME, HE PUT UP
THE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS THAT
THEY HAD AND HE PUT IT UP ON
FACEBOOK.
TALK ABOUT PAIN...."
IN COURT LAST MONTH---GERRY CAME
FACE TO FACE WITH JACK
COLE....WHO HAD NO INTENTION OF
GIVING UP THE HOUSE...REPORDED
LY TELLING THE JUDGE HE AND
WENDY WERE MARRIED.
"WENDY WAS NEVER MARRIED.
SHE WAS NEVER MARRIED.
ON HER DEATH CERTIFICATE IT
STATES SHE WAS SINGLE.
ON THE MEDICAL RECORDS
FROM THE HOSPITAL IT SAYS SHE IS
SINGLE.
I KNOW SHE WOULDN'T HAVE MARRIED
HIM."
NEWS FIVE INVESTIGATES FOUND NO
MARRIAGE LICENSE FOR WENDY AND
JACK...
AND ONE OF JACK'S MULTIPLE
FACEBOOK PROFILES SAYS HE'S
SINGLE....ANOTHER
SHOWS HE'S IN A RELATIONSHIP
WITH ANOTHER WOMAN...
"HE'S A LIAR AND WE HAVE TO LIVE
WITH THIS.
IT'S JUST NOT RIGHT."
THE JUDGE ULTIMATELY SIDED WITH
GERRY----AND ORDERED THE
SQUATTERS LEAVE!
"HE'S DESTROYED THIS HOUSE.
IT'S PATHETIC AND WE TOLD THE
POLICE WE NEED HELP---NOBODY
COULD HELP US BECAUSE IT'S A
CIVIL CASE.
THEY
COULDN'T DO ANYTHING.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH OUR SYSTEM?"
GERRY GAVE US PICTURES OF WHAT
WENDY'S HOUSE LOOKED LIKE PRIOR
TO SQUATTERS MOVING IN....
AND THIS IS THE
AFTERMATH....SWIT CHES TORN OFF
WALLS, TRASH
EVERYWHERE, NEEDLES LITTER THE
FLOOR.
AND WORSE----
WENDY'S WHITE PONTIAC...
MISSING.
NEWS FIVE INVESTIGATES EMAILED
LT.
HOWARD
BLACK...THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S
SPOKESPERSON.
HE WOULD NOT ANSWER ANY
QUESTIONS OR EXPLAIN WHY POLICE
WOULD NOT PURSUE CRIMINAL
MISCHIEF OR THEFT CHARGES....
"BEAUTIFUL HEADBOARD AND
FRAME---THAT'S GONE.
CURTAINS ARE GONE---YOU CAN SEE
THE RODS.
THERE WAS SOMETHING HANGING
HERE--THAT'S GONE.
LOOK AT THE WALLS, THEY ARE ALL
EMPTY.
EVERYTHING ON THE WALLS IS
GONE."
"I THINK WE ALL WANT TO SEE
THESE PARISITIC SQUATTERS GOTTEN
RID OF WITHOUT DELAY."
AFTER MULTIPLE NEWS FIVE
INVESTIGATIONS EXPOSING A CLEAR
PROBLEM IN OUR COMMUNITY....LAW
MAKERS DRAFTED SENATE BILL
15....WHICH WOULD GIVE POLICE
THE POWER TO IMMEDIATELY REMOVE
SQUATTERS WITHOUT WAITING FOR A
COURT-ORDERED EVICTION.
"WE'RE MAKING A PUBLIC POLICY
CHOICE.
WE CAN COME DOWN ON THE SIDE OF
PROPERTY OWNERS OR WE CAN COME
DOWN ON THE SIDE OF HOME
INVADERS, VANDALS, AND THIEVES."
"I SURELY WOULDN'T WANT ANY
OTHER FAMILY TO GO THROUGH
SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
I'M A SENIOR CITIZEN ON A
LIMITED INCOME---WE CAN'T AFFORD
THIS."
==========
THIS."
==========
SENATE BILL 15---WHICH
ADDRESSES SQUATTING ISSUES----
NOW MOVES ON TO THE HOUSE FOR
APPROVAL AND WE HAVE A COPY OF
THE BILL POSTED RIGHT NOW AT
KOAA DOT COM.
EVEN THOUGH SENATE BILL 15
HASN'T PASSED YET----
YOU WOULD THINK POLICE POLICE
WOULD TAKE A STOLEN VEHICLE
CASE REPORT FOR THE MISSING
CAR....
I CHECKED WITH ANOTHER LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY IN OUR AREA
AND WAS TOLD THIS WOULD BE MOTOR
VEHICLE THEFT...
HOWEVER---COLORADO SPRINGS
POLICE TELLING US IT'S NOT AND
TO DATE---POLICE ARE REFUSING TO
TAKE A CASE REPORT.
NOW EVEN THOUGH THE COLORADO
SPRINGS POLICE DEPARTMENT'S
SPOKESPERSON WOULDN'T
ACKNOWLEDGE OUR QUESTIONS ABOUT
THIS CASE----A POLICE COMMANDER
DID ISSUE A WRITTEN
STATEMENT....
AND IN OUR FAIR AND BALANCED
COVERAGE----WE BRING YOU THAT
STATEMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY...
IT READS QUOTE....
"AFTER REVIEWING THE
INFORMATION FROM MULTIPLE CALL
SCREENS AND INTERVIEWING BOTH
THE OFFICER AND THE DETECTIVE
INVOLVED IN THIS CASE, I AM
CONFIDENT THAT ALL INVOLVED HAVE
GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND TO PROVIDE
MS.
CLARK THE INFORMATION SHE NEEDS
TO PROCEED.
BOTH THE RESIDENCY AND
PROPERTY ISSUES IN THIS CASE ARE
NOT
CRIMINAL IN NATURE, BUT CIVIL.
MS.
CLARK HAS ALREADY SOUGHT OUT THE
FIRST REMEDY AS PROVIDED BY THE
DETECTIVE AND OBTAINED A CIVIL
EVICTION NOTICE TO THE OCCUPANT.
SHE WILL NEED TO SEEK OUT A
CIVIL RESTITUTION FOR ANY
PROPERTY DAMAGES.
THAT ADVICE WAS PROVIDED BY
THE OFFICER IN THE PRESENCE OF
HER DAUGHTER, MICHELLE CLARK,
WHO ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROCESS.
THIS CASE IN ITS ENTIRETY,
BASED ON ALL THE PRESENTED
INFORMATION IS
CIVIL IN NATURE." END QUOTE...
IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM OR
ISSUE YOU'D LIKE CHIEF
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER ERIC ROSS
TO CHECK OUT----CALL OUR 24-HOUR
TIP LINE AT
719-228-6275 OR SEND AN EMAIL TO
NEWS FIVE INVESTIGATES AT KOAA
DOT COM.
SOME PRETTY CRAZY VIDEO OUT