Would Harris County Sheriff Tommy Thomas evict innocent renters?
The financial crisis has many victims. An underrepresented group of victims are people that unknowingly pay rent to an owner of a property that is going through foreclosure. These people through no fault of their own are being evicted out of their homes because the landlord did not disclose to them that the home was going through foreclosure. The renters have very little options when this occurs. In fact, if the refuse to leave the premises charges may be brought against them for criminal trespass. Nevertheless, Cook County, Illinois' Sheriff Dart is currently refusing to serve evictions on these type of foreclosed homes. His position is that innocent renters are being thrown out of the homes despite paying the owner of the property timely.
I wonder if other sheriffs around the country feel the same way? Closer to home would Harris County, Texas' Sheriff Tommy Thomas, the sheriff of the third largest sheriff's office in the United States, follow suit in an election year? The financial crisis has not hit the greater Houston, Texas area as badly as the rest of the nation, but what if things do get worse? Does Harris County, Texas want its sheriff disregarding the law?
Admittedly, this a grey area. Proponents of Sheriff Dart consider him a voice of the poor or providing leadership when it is desperately needed. Others call him a vigilante... cynics say that he is preparing himself for a run at higher office What is your position?
