DAVIDSON, N.C. — Two people were arrested for squatting inside a multi-million dollar home that was up for sale.
The house, down a private drive on a grassy hill, is one Davidson Mayor Rusty Knox and his sister Beth once called their parents' home.
Police say Turmaine Thorne and Taqiyah Barber used a Hide A Key to get into the home. Within a few hours, they had unpacked a U-Haul and moved in.
"This was my parents dream house," Beth Knox Sullivan said. "My mom drew a picture of what she wanted -- she had it framed on our wall for years at our old house, and they finally built it."
The home has been empty for the last year, so the siblings were surprised when someone the didn't sell it to or even know showed up with a moving van, found a key and moved in.
"They had unloaded furniture in several rooms, everything was in disarray," Mayor Rusty Knox said.
When the Knox family found the squatters in their home, they called the police. But Turmaine Thorne and Taqiyah Barber wouldn't leave.
"I felt so violated, just mad," Beth Knox Sullivan said.
Davidson police say the pair filed a deed, and claimed they had every right to be there. Mayor Knox says they didn't.
"To have someone come in with falsified documents and claim ownership, illegally," Mayor Knox said, expressing his frustration.
The pair pledged allegiance to the Moorish Nation -- a fringe organization that believes in their own sovereignty, and is known to try to stake claim of others' property.
Situations like this have happened in Charlotte before, but it's a first for the town of Davidson. Police quickly put a stop to it.
"Within seven hours, they were in handcuffs, baby," Beth Knox Sullivan said.
The family put up signs, hoping the couple won't come back. They are worried, nonetheless, that if someone can squat at the Mayor's home, it can happen to anyone.
"I still don't understand how the system lets them get away with this," Mayor Knox said.
After the incident, the two suspects were charged with misdemeanors, officials say. Nearly a month later, documents were filed in Mecklenburg County Court to increase the charges. The two suspects are now facing felonies.