Strange Noises Lead Clackamas County Homeowners to Man Secretly Living in Rooftop Crawl Space

CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Ore. — After the owners of a Clackamas County condominium alerted the local Sheriff’s Office to strange noises coming from the crawl space, deputies found a man living in the rooftop space who had created a comfortable, rent-and-electricity-free home for himself.

Benjamin Bucur (40) was arrested and transported to the Clackamas County Jail, where he was charged with first-degree burglary and the unlawful possession of methamphetamine.

He Had Been in Residence for Quite Some Time

Upon entering the crawl space, the deputies found that Bucur had gone to great lengths to make himself a comfortable living space. He had rigged out the space with a bed, TVs, electronics, chargers, and lights, all powered from the condominium.

The deputies say it appeared that Bucur had been in residence for quite some time.

The deputies were informed by the owners of the condominium complex, on Southeast Old Town Court near Happy Valley, about strange noises emanating from the crawl space. They said at about 11 p.m., they observed a man who did not live at the residence park his car and walk to the back of the complex.

The owners then observed a light coming from the crawl space, which the man had entered, closing the door behind him.

Armed with a set of keys provided by the owners, the deputies breached the door of the crawl space and found Burcur in tenancy.

At a preliminary hearing on Thursday, a judge set bail at $75,000.