Michigan family who installed six-foot fence around their property and 14 cameras to protect themselves from squatter neighbor reveals their four years of hell

A family from Michigan are finally breathing a sigh of relief after squatters who moved in next door to them, disrupting the neighborhood for four years, have finally been removed.

Demarko Smith of Dowagiac, near South Bend, says his family lived in fear for their safety including that of his wife and child after one of their neighbors allowed a man, his dilapidated campers, and his friends to occupy her backyard.

The issues arose after the homeowner passed away. Despite the descendants family's attempting to reclaim the home and return it to the bank, lenient Michigan state squatter laws allowed the occupants to take over the property completely.

It saw Smith erected a six-foot fence around his yard to protect his own property from the constant disturbances next door - although at one point some men attempted to tear down the fence, leaving it partially damaged. 

Demarko Smith of Dowagiac, near South Bend, Michigan says his family lived in fear for their safety including that of his wife and child after one of their neighbors allowed a man, his dilapidated campers, and his friends to occupy her backyard

Squatters living next door were finally removed from the home following years of illegal activity

Smith shared his delight the squatters had finally been removed in a posting to his personal Facebook page. 

'Our nightmare, squatter neighbors is coming to an end as of today. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy it's been hell the last 4 years. Having to be on guard 24/7 at your own home is horrible,' he began.

'I can't believe the city/bank let this go on that long. They demolished the house, plumbing, electric furnace hole in the roof.

'From the 6 hour police stand off to the suspicious people walking around every night with flashlights in the backyard up to no good. Chemical smoke rolling out the wood burner. No electric, no running water. Lots of other things I don't even want to talk about.

'We have had to deal with the worst of the worst,' Smith explained before outlining the extensive security measures he had to implement. 

'We spent thousands of dollars to upgrade security all the way around the house to keep my family safe. ADT Security. Motion detectors around the house. 120 dB outside siren. Fingerprint scan door knobs, 14 cameras with night vision motion detection. Seven day backup battery just in case power is cut,' Smith listed. 

Smith posted a summary of everything he had to endure over the last few years in a Facebook posting

The home next door became a dumping ground for camper vans and waste

One of Smith's 14 cameras would capture the strange comings and goings to the home 

'I am so glad this is finally over and I also want to thank the neighborhood for sticking together and Dowagiac Police for everything they did to help.'

Smith, who works as a DJ, described how he and his wife would spend at least four hours a day reviewing footage for anything untoward, even while he was working. 

Yet despite numerous arrests and police interventions, the squatters continued to cause chaos. 

Smith criticized the city for failing to address the problem adequately. 'You can write people a citation for their grass, and then you have people doing stuff like this and nothing happens,' he said.

Finally, after years of turmoil, the bank evicted the squatters. 

'When they pulled out of there, we were on the front porch crying because we were so happy they left,' Smith said. Unfortunately, the squatters relocated to another street in the area, which happened to be the same street as Smith's mother-in-law. 

'Now, they're mad over there,' he said.

Smith explained how the situation started off innocuously.

Night vision cameras captures unsettling behavior at all hours of the night 

The house next door became a dumping ground for all kind of garbage 

'When he moved in, he would just start bringing in trash, old washers, dryers. We hang out in our backyard. We have a movie theater and a bar, and there were just always random people back there,' he told Fox News.

'They had no running water, no electricity for about three years. He scrapped most of the electrical. He took the copper plumbing out and sold the furnace.

'We've got 14 cameras around our property,' Smith said. 'They did drugs over there, I already know that. I have people on camera walking in the house with backpacks and walking out of the house counting money. Some days, we couldn't go outside because it smelled like chemicals through the wood burner. The fire department went eight times. They caught the shed on fire in the backyard,' he went on.

Smith said that things were so bad that his little girl was unable to play outside because of the chemical burning. 

The Smith's felt captive in their own home as they continually had to monitor cameras 

Smith said he was not able to enjoy his outdoor hot tub or home cinema because there would be a smell of chemical burning floating across the fence from next door 

'My wife and my daughter did not feel safe here – when I was gone, they felt terrified.We felt like we were backed into a corner,' he said.  

Friends urged Smith and his wife to leave but after spending 16 years building their dream home that included a bar and hot tube, they refused to be driven out. 

'To feel like that in your own home, it's really sad,' he said. 

'We'd go on vacation, and sometimes we would cancel because I had a bad feeling. We stayed home countless summers. We couldn't enjoy ourselves because we had to worry about our house. I don't wish this on my worst enemy.'