Owner locked out of historic home

A woman whose historic Ontario home faces foreclosure was evicted after city officials said they caught her selling its period flooring, baseboards and other fixtures on the Internet.

A Superior Court judge granted the city a warrant last week to vacate and secure the classic Mediterranean Revival home, locking out owner Kim Shewalter.

“They changed the locks,” said Shewalter, 46, who let her home go into foreclosure after her mortgage payments adjusted to $6,500 a month. City officials said they were spurred into action by the for-sale postings by Shewalter, who had paid reduced property taxes on the 73-year-old Swenson House in exchange for the property’s preservation and rehabilitation.

“A number of the features were advertised for sale online -- fixtures, baseboards, tile, grates, a sink, almost the whole house,” said Cathy Walstrom, the city’s planning chief. Shewalter said she was removing and selling only items she had installed in the home.