CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Chillicothe police were called to a vacant residence Monday evening after the property owner reported multiple people inside without permission.
According to a police report, officers responded around 7 p.m. on Feb. 2 to 153 E. 5th St. after the owner, said the home was supposed to be unoccupied following the recent death of the previous tenant, Karen Whitting. Wolff told officers the locks had been changed on Dec. 30, 2025, at Whitting’s request shortly before her passing.
When officers arrived, they found four individuals inside the home: Lisa Sanford, Lauren Sanford, Ashlee Lewis, and Jonathan Colon. Lisa and Lauren Sanford told officers they lived at the residence, with Lisa claiming she had stayed there for about five years with her boyfriend, Stephen Spencer, who is currently incarcerated. Lewis and Colon said they were visiting to help clean the house.
Police checked recent law enforcement records and discovered that Lisa and Lauren Sanford had been contacted by the Ross County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 23 at 161 Marshal Road, where they claimed to have established residency. According to that report, the sisters had repeatedly identified the Marshal Road address as their residence and had even painted the family name on the mailbox before being removed from the property.
Police said the prior contact supported Wolff’s statement that the group had voluntarily left the East 5th Street home before Whitting’s death and had only returned after being removed from the Marshal Road residence.
Based on the information gathered, officers determined the individuals did not have permission to occupy the East 5th Street property and ordered all four to leave immediately. All complied without incident.
At Wolff’s request, the four individuals were formally barred from returning to the property. Police documented the trespass order in department records, effective Feb. 2, 2026.
No arrests were made.
