'Heard strange noises': Man secretly lived in crawl space of family's townhome for months with a cache of knives and built his own kitchen

An Oregon antheral lived for astir 3 months successful a crawl abstraction nether a family's townhome with a sword and aggregate knives aft helium "snuck" successful utilizing the "cover of darkness," according to prosecutors. He is present headed to prison.

Beniamin Bucur, 41, was convicted of burglary by a Clackamas County assemblage connected Tuesday and sentenced to 36 months successful prison. Prosecutors accidental helium "constructed an elaborate surviving space" wrong the family's crawl abstraction past twelvemonth "complete with lights, a room and a gaming area."

Bucur would travel and spell portion the household surviving supra him — a joined mates and their young girl — was wholly unaware of his presence, according to the Clackamas County District Attorney's Office.

"Using the screen of darkness, the suspect snuck into the crawl abstraction of this family's home, moved successful his belongings, including aggregate televisions, gaming consoles, cooking burners — helium adjacent hung drawstring lights — racking up the energy usage portion the household unknowingly footed the bill," said Deputy DA Tiffany Escover, who prosecuted the case, successful a connection Wednesday. "For 2 and a fractional months, Beniamin Bucur was the roommate the household ne'er knew they had."

The concealed unraveled aft a neighbour noticed Bucur entering the crawl abstraction and called police, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.

"A witnesser reported seeing a antheral who was not known to unrecorded successful the analyzable parking his car and walking to the backmost of 1 of the buildings," a CCSO press release said successful September 2025. "The witnesser besides noticed the doorway to the crawl abstraction was unfastened and airy was coming from inside. The doorway past closed."

Deputies responded to the townhome, located adjacent Happy Valley connected Southeast Old Town Court, and noticed that the doorway to the crawl abstraction was damaged and locked. An hold cord was spotted moving done a vent.

"After contacting the owner, deputies were told that cipher was expected to beryllium down determination and that determination shouldn't beryllium immoderate lights connected inside," the sheriff's bureau said. "The proprietor besides reported that they had heard unusual noises coming from the crawl abstraction before."

Deputies utilized a Halligan pry barroom to breach the crawl abstraction doorway aft getting support from the family. "Standing conscionable wrong the door, they recovered Bucur, who was promptly arrested," the DA's bureau said successful a press release announcing Bucur's sentence.

Police recovered a sword, aggregate knives and a tube with methamphetamine residue wrong the crawl abstraction portion searching it. Bucur, who pleaded blameworthy to possessing the meth, was recovered to person a transgression past going backmost much than 20 years, including anterior convictions for burglary, cause possession and theft.

"The assemblage deliberated for astir 20 minutes earlier uncovering Bucur guilty," the DA's bureau said.