Residents of an Oregon condominium complex made the horrifying discovery that a strange man had been living inside a crawlspace for “an extended period of time” — decking out the space with TVs, electronics and a stash of meth, authorities said.
Beniamin Bucur, 40, was arrested and charged with first-degree burglary and unlawful possession of meth after he was found hiding out in a condominium complex near Happy Valley, a suburb of Portland, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said.
The alarming discovery was made late Wednesday as sheriff’s deputies were called to the condo around 11 p.m. by a resident who reported seeing a strange man park his car and walk to the back of one of the buildings.
The caller said they didn’t believe the man lived in the condominiums and told authorities they noticed a mysterious light from the crawlspace of one of the residences.
“The witness also noticed the door to the crawl space was open and light was coming from inside,” the sheriff’s office said. “The door then closed.”
Inside the condo, deputies discovered the door to the crawl space had been damaged and locked. The owner of the home said that there shouldn’t have been any lights on inside.
The owner also admitted to police that they had heard strange noises coming from the crawlspace before, but never looked into it, the sheriff’s office said.
The resident gave authorities keys for the crawl space, which did not work, prompting deputies to break the door. Once inside, they discovered Bucur, who had “taken significant steps to improve the conditions of the crawl space and was obviously living inside,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Deputies observed a bed, lights, chargers, TVs, and other electronics plugged into the power of the house,” authorities said.
Photos showed string lights strung above tarps and a makeshift gaming station.
Deputies believe Bucur had been living in the crawl space “for an extended period of time.” The sheriff’s office did not specify how long they believed he had been living in the space.
Authorities said they also found a pipe with white residue that tested positive for methamphetamine at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.
Bucur was booked into the Clackamas County Jail Thursday, where a judge set his bail to $75,000 during a preliminary hearing, according to the sheriff’s office.