Squatters try to make soldier's home theirs

Faylisa Baily Faylisa Baily Photo: Liberty County Sheriff's Office Photo: Liberty County Sheriff's Office Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Squatters try to make soldier's home theirs 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Sam Burbank, who'd recently returned from his third tour in Iraq, was shocked Tuesday to learn that while his family was living at Fort Hood, two squatters had moved into his Liberty County home and were selling his possessions at a garage sale.

"It devastated us," said his wife, Hollie Burbank. "We got married in that house. It's been in my family for three generations."

Liberty County sheriff's spokesman Capt. Rex Evans, a veteran himself, was upset that anyone would exploit a soldier and his family who were already making personal sacrifices to protect this country's freedoms.

Burbank had the dangerous job of searching areas for improvised explosive devices while on tour.

The squatters were identified as two parolees from Cleveland: Faylisa Danielle Bailey, 30, who has had multiple convictions for theft, forgery and credit card abuse, and Johnny Wayne Bell, 47, who has numerous drug convictions.

Evans said both are in jail after their paroles on some drug charges were revoked. They now face new charges of possession of controlled substances and more are expected.

"We found syringes and spoons and other evidence of them using methamphetamines inside that house," Evans said.

Found after two days

Burbank and his family had packed their furniture and belongings into a shed in their backyard seven years ago when he was assigned to Fort Hood.

"We would come back periodically to get away," Hollie Burbank said. "We also let other relatives live there off and on while we were gone."

According to investigators, the squatters had broken open a door and lived in the wood frame house about two days before being discovered. They slept on an old mattress on the floor and put all the Burbanks' belongings outside to sell.

One of Hollie Burbank's relatives happened to drive by Tuesday and reported the situation.

"I don't know what's gone. But there are a lot of sentimental things there that I could never replace," Hollie Burbank said. Among them was the torn photo of her grandmother that investigators found on the lawn.

Evans and some firefighters worked in the rain to gather the family's belongings still there and return them to the shed.

"This just isn't right," he said.

cindy.horswell@chron.com