79-year-old vet says homeless woman ran him out of his Houston-area house, drained his bank accounts

 Joe Whitten wasn't planning to buy cars, drain his bank accounts and move out of his Tomball home. But after helping a woman in need, that's exactly what happened.

Author: Grace White, Cory McCord (KHOU)

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A 79-year-old disabled veteran said he was scammed out of thousands of dollars by people he was trying to help.

Now, his home is trashed and his credit is ruined. It's so bad, he had to move.

His neighbors are fed up with what's going on and they, too, have called the police to find out what's going on inside the Tomball home that Roma "Joe" Whitten used to call home.

"I wish a thousand times I never helped them, but I did," Whitten said.

He said it all started with a homeless woman he decided to help.

"But you can't help a thief and a liar," he said.

He said after she moved into his house, his car was stolen and she disappeared. Eventually, she showed back up at Whitten's home. This time, she was with a man and asked for help, again. A few months later, another woman arrived at the house.

"I said, 'I'll feed you and give you a place to stay.' But I didn't intend it to be forever," Whitten said.

He said his bank account has been drained and the people refuse to leave. Whitten said he has given up on the home and wants to sell it.

Whitten said one of the women even claimed to be married to him.

"She said, 'Well I lived here eight months, so we're married.' I said, 'You're crazy, you lived in that room and I lived in my room back there," he said.

While KHOU 11 News reporter Grace White was doing this story on Wednesday, neighbors showed her photos of the police being called to the home earlier in the week.

"Lots of activity of people we don't recognize in and out of the house at all hours of the day and night," neighbor Jenna Cordell said.

Constable Mark Herman said one of the women living at the house had been arrested on an unrelated theft charge.

When White went to the house and knocked on the door, someone was seen peering through the window, but no one answered the door.

Two law enforcement agencies -- the Harris County Sheriff's Office and the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office -- said they're investigating. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services is also looking into Whitten's situation.

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79-year-old vet says homeless woman ran him out of his Houston-area house, drained his bank accounts