CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio — A Batavia man is facing charges after deputies say he refused to leave private property, threatened the owner, and was later found hiding in a chicken coop.
Thomas Robert Tarte, listed in court records as homeless with a last known address on Brookside Drive in Batavia, was charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.
According to a complaint filed in Clermont County Municipal Court, deputies were called to Batavia Township on Thursday for a trespass investigation after a property owner reported that an intoxicated man had been sleeping on his land.
The property owner told deputies he recognized the man as Tarte, who had previously lived nearby. Court records allege Tarte refused to leave when told to do so and threatened the man.
Deputies said the area where Tarte had allegedly been staying showed disturbed ground and vegetation, and officers used GPS mapping and lot lines to confirm the location was on private property.
Authorities said deputies then searched the area on foot and eventually found Tarte hiding in a chicken coop at his former address, which now belonged to his estranged wife.
Court records state Tarte was highly intoxicated and at one point had to be taken to the ground because he was not complying with deputies’ commands.
A warrant was issued and later served on Friday. A bond hearing was scheduled in Clermont County Municipal Court
