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CONCORD, N.C.–Lisa Salomon has collected page after page of documents as she works to evict her tenants. “I’ve never encountered a problem like this,” said the Concord resident.
After they didn’t pay their first month’s rent, Salomon discovered her tenants, two convicted felons, were living in her 3 bedroom Concord home. Public records show Sara Shoe has lived in 26 different locations in 23 years. She has multiple aliases and a long criminal history that began with larceny in 1992. Her husband, Eugene Lee Shoe, spent 8 months behind bars for theft and worthless checks in 2007. “I just think she’s set out to demoralize our character,” said Eugene Lee Shoe.
In January, 2012, Hickory Police say he even stole a bag from a man visiting a friend in the hospital.
“We’ve got leads in other places to live. That’s not a problem. It ain’t a problem to get up out of here,” said Shoe.
Salomon found at least six other landlords in the Charlotte area and Florida with similar complaints of missed rent payments and photos of damage they say Sarah Shoe left behind.
“It gets personal when it happens to you,” said Matthews Resident Olin Flowe. Shoe left behind 2 to 3 loads of trash, unpaid utilities and thousands of dollars worth of unpaid rent while she was a tenant at a property of his in Mint Hill. “It was unpleasant. I trusted her and I tried to help her. I wanted her to be successful. But she didn’t treat me right,” said Flowe.
Eugene Shoe says his landlord has no right to tell them to leave until an eviction notice is posted on the door. He says he isn’t moving out until 10 days after that happens. “So we’re gonna stay here the full extent. Until the padlocks are on the door,” he says.
Salomon estimates this entire eviction process has taken a month. A sad reality of a standard protocol. But frustrating nonetheless because, she says, of all the money she’s losing. “It’s a lesson learned. And a hard lesson learned,” said Salomon.
As a result, she is now planning criminal background checks and credit reports for all of her prospective tenants. “This is a nightmare. It makes me totally wanna sell my rental property and just be done,” she said.
Experts say landlords should check employment, criminal and rental histories before signing a contract with a tenant. Public records checks are free and accessible at local courthouses across the Charlotte area.
