Judge John C. Moffett said Goode had 'some demented thoughts to justify' squatting.
Spotlight on Maryland's investigative journalist Gary Collins attempted to ask questions of Tamieka Goode, a woman in Bethesda, Md., accused of squatting. Goode was found guilty in Montgomery County District Court on Thursday, January 22, 2026, on all counts of burglary and breaking and entering into a $2.
3 million home. stood at the center of a legal and emotional battle — one that neighbors, witnesses and prosecutors say should never have been allowed to escalate. That case — and the 19-year-old William & Mary college student who filed charges — was heard Thursday afternoon in a Silver Spring district courtroom, where accused squatterwas found guilty on all tried counts of trespassing, and breaking and entering. She was sentenced to 90 days in jail and arrested in court. Goode denied her guilt to the court and Spotlight on Maryland. “They may not want me in the neighborhoodbut what they're doing is guessing,” she said in court. “They’re trying to dispose of me.”Kevin Risch, an assistant state’s attorney for Montgomery County, said, “If you want to live somewhere, you have to live there lawfully.”In December, Spotlight on Maryland first reported allegations that two individuals had unlawfully taken over a $2.3 million home in one of Montgomery County’s most affluent neighborhoods last summer. What followed, according to witnesses, was months of fear, frustration, and a slow grind through a legal system critics say is unprepared to confront modern squatting. “This has entirely gone on too long,” one witness told Spotlight on Maryland, requesting anonymity for safety reasons. Goode is a self-described “pro-se litigation coach” who frequently documents her life and legal battles on social media. In one TikTok video filmed with the Bethesda estate in the background, Goode confidently declared, “2026 is gonna be my year,” framing the sprawling property as a backdrop for what she called a “lovely year.” The video, posted just weeks after Spotlight on Maryland began investigating the alleged takeover, would later become part of a broader narrative prosecutors say demonstrates Goode’s awareness and control of the property. Goode was formally charged months ago with multiple counts of burglary, trespassing, and other related offenses tied to the alleged squatting of the home. On Thursday, she represented herself after choosing to proceed without an attorney in the Montgomery County district court.Exclusive footage obtained by Spotlight on Maryland shows Goode leaving the Bethesda property in a Porsche Cayenne shortly before 7 a.m. Thursday, an hour and a half before the scheduled 8:30 a.m. hearing. A license plate on the back of the vehicle read “DOT exempt” and “for commercial use only.” A $2.3 million home in one of Maryland's wealthiest neighborhoods has become the latest test of the state's ability to respond to squatting. Inside the courtroom, Goode repeatedly argued that ownership of the foreclosed property was unclear. She claimed that because no single bank was clearly identified, and a “no trespassing” sign wasn't posted, she could not be certain she was unlawfully present.I know who doesn’t own the property — and that’s Tamieka Goode,” he said in court. “This isn’t some vacant, abandoned, way-out-in-the-woods house.” After hours of testimony and argument, Spotlight on Maryland attempted to speak with Goode during the trial’s lunch recess.Pressed further on whether she believed her actions constituted a crime, Goode responded tersely: “No. Get out of my face.” For those who say they were directly impacted by the alleged squatting, the courtroom proceedings offered little comfort. The Seal of Maryland outside the Montgomery County District Court in Silver Spring, Md., on Thursday, January 22, 2026. A witness who testified in the case, and who asked not to be identified, described the nine-month fight as “almost a year of terror,” blaming not just the defendants, but the state itself.Social media squatter network? Baltimore property manager and occupant come face-to-face Maryland lawmakers have debated squatting-related reforms in recent sessions, but critics argue enforcement gaps remain, particularly in cases involving vacant, foreclosed, or bank-owned properties where possession can become legally murky. The Bethesda case has now become a flashpoint in that debate, raising questions about how long alleged squatters can remain in high-value homes while cases slowly move through the courts and what protections exist for surrounding communities. Ian Chen, a 19-year-old who lives with his parents near the $2.3 million home, brought the case that ultimately led to Goode’s conviction. “I felt it was my civic duty to do the right thing, to file these charges and then to ultimately bring her to justice here today,” he said Thursday to Spotlight on Maryland.“I was pretty scared,” Chen said. “All of us in our neighborhood were. We have a lot of elderly folks who were afraid to even go to sleep at night because they were worried that someone like Tamieka, or Tamieka herself, would break in and be living in their house and refuse to leave. So we were all pretty afraid that we could be the next victims of this.”, was also scheduled to appear in court on Thursday but did not attend. According to court records, Pollard was recently arrested on an outstanding, unrelated warrant. Have you experienced or have direct knowledge about squatting or unauthorized occupancy occurring in Maryland? Do you have a tip related to this story? 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