Former Sebastopol renter runs afoul of the law in Oregon

A former Sebastopol woman and accused serial squatter who left Sonoma County after being ordered to pay tens of thousands of dollars in back rent is suspected of being at it again, this time in southern Oregon.

Gwendolyn Walker Smith, 54, was cited Dec. 10 with two felony counts of theft by deception for allegedly failing to pay for a room she is sub-letting on a 27-acre farm near Ashland, Jackson County sheriff's spokeswoman Andrea Carlson said.

Smith has since paid landlords Lance Hilt and Pam Vavra $800 but they said they are continuing eviction proceedings against the tenant. The couple discovered Smith's checkered rental past - which spans several states - after doing a Google search of her name and reading archived stories about her in The Press Democrat.

Smith did not return a phone call Monday seeking comment on the latest allegations.

She has been ordered to appear on the criminal charges in Jackson County Circuit Court in Medford on Jan. 4. A civil eviction trial is set for Jan. 19.

Smith apparently moved to Oregon with her teenage son shortly after a Sonoma County judge this fall ordered her to pay more than $49,000 in back rent and damages to a Sebastopol landlord.

Landlord Connie Cook said she was forced to sell her property after Smith and her son rented her converted barn and refused to pay rent for more than 18 months, leaving her in financial difficulty.

Smith had moved in after leaving another Sebastopol rental under similar circumstances. A judge in that case ordered Smith to pay more than $42,000 in damages. Smith also has a judgment in Wisconsin for more than $80,000.

Some of her victims said Smith is a serial squatter who uses her single-mother status and legal knowledge to take advantage of unsuspecting landlords.

"The evidence clearly speaks for itself," said Santa Rosa lawyer James Sansone, who brought one case against her and was contacted by the Oregon landlord. "I don't know how you can conclude anything else if look at her record."

Lawyers for the Sonoma County victims urged prosecutors to get involved but they never did because the cases were never reported to police, a district attorney spokeswoman said.

Oregon authorities proved less tolerant of Smith.

She and her son moved in to a room in a three-bedroom farm house outside Ashland on Oct. 7. Hilt and Vavra raise livestock on the property they have leased for about eight years, they said.

Hilt said he felt a connection with Smith and her son and allowed her to pay the $300 a month rent in $100 installments. He said he didn't check her references.

"She seemed great," Hilt said, recalling the first time they met. "She had a lot softer countenance."

But after a month things became strained. Smith made numerous demands and Hilt asked her to move out, he said.

More conflict followed, Hilt said.

Smith stopped paying rent and filed a counter suit, claiming the house was uninhabitable and infested with vermin, Vavra said.

After researching Smith's other cases the couple contacted the sheriff's department. A fraud investigator became "acutely interested" and drove out to talk to Smith, who was with her son in the bedroom they rented.

She wouldn't come out and the deputy slipped her citation under her bedroom door, Vavra said.

"A week later, Smith paid $800 into a special court trust account that covered the rent but not utilities, Vavra said."

Jackson County prosecutors did not respond to questions about whether they will continue to pursue the criminal case.