39-Year-Old Former Neptune Man Charged For Allegedly Attempting To Claim Ownership Of 2 Vacant Homes

Friday, August 16, 2024, 9:45 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

FREEHOLD, NJ. A 39-year-old former Neptune, New Jersey man found out that Monmouth County law enforcement is not going to allow the civil real estate squatting game that has been plaguing other states across the country. He will now remain jailed pending trial on multiple theft and fraud charges.

     According to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago, Markies L. Wells, also known as Messiah Law-Elbey, 39, formerly of Neptune Township, New Jersey, has been formally charged with the following criminal offenses:

Charges Filed

     Second-degree Armed Burglary; second-degree Attempted Theft; second-degree Theft; third-degree Burglary; third-degree Criminal Mischief; third-degree Resisting Arrest; third-degree Threatening to Kill Members of Law Enforcement; fourth-degree Falsifying or Tampering with Records; fourth-degree Obstruction of Justice; fourth-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose; fourth-degree Theft of Utility Services; fourth-degree Trespassing; and fourth-degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon.

     The charges stem from two investigations that began in March 2024. Members of the Keansburg Police Department uncovered that Wells had broken into an abandoned home on Pine View Avenue and changed the locks on the front and rear doors, after which he was arrested and formally charged.

     Then again, in July 2024, an investigation by members of the Holmdel Police Department uncovered that Wells had done the same thing with a foreclosed home located on Middletown Road. Wells apparently took up residence in the home, using utilities that had not been turned off and allowing his three pet dogs to cause extensive damage to portions of the home’s interior.

     When Police Officers attempted to arrest Wells, he threatened to kill them with a knife he had in his possession. After being charged, a Monmouth County Superior Court Judge ordered that Wells be detained in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution while the investigation moves forward.

     Last week, further investigation by Detectives of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, along with the Keansburg and Holmel Police Departments, filed additional charges against Wells for filing false documents with the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office, which he claimed to be the owner of both the Keansburg and Holmdel properties.

“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”