Frustrated Man Drives Truck Through Own House

[tallguy]

A Georgia man says he was so angry after a phone call with his wife that he drove his truck through his house.

John Paul Jones, Jr., 35, of Senoia, says he fully intended to drive his truck from the backyard to the front yard by way of his living room on Thursday.

The Newnan Times-Herald reported that Jones told authorities he'd been frustrated because he hadn't been able to sell his home, but Jones told WGCL that the incident was "just one of those spur of the moment crazy things."

Jones, who works as a contractor, did his own repairs. He appeared in good spirits when WGCL interviewed him on Sunday.

"I've been out of work for the past year and a half. Needed some work," Jones told WGCL. "It didn't pay anything, but hey, it kept me busy."

Neighbors heard a ruckus around 4:40 Thursday afternoon and called police. Coweta County deputies met Jones outside the house, where the truck was parked with furniture caught in the bumper.

"The police came out here, I told them I needed air conditioning," Jones told WGCL "They said, 'open a window.' I told them it wasn't enough. As you can see, I had a nice breeze."

The Coweta County Sheriff's Office said he won't face charges because he damaged his own property, and nobody was hurt.

link

So obviously, if you cannot sell your house, the way to drive up the value is to drive your truck through it.  And what could the wife possibly have said to drive him to it?

(Hmmm, how many more times can I use the word "drive" here?  Okay, I got one more.)

Does it drive anyone else crazy that Georgia is PART OF THE UNION?  (Although I guess I should give him credit for calling it a spur-of-the-moment crazy thing.  There are states where this would be considered normal behavior.)  

[msventoux]

I remember a man that got in trouble for burning his house down.  The house was paid off, wasn't close to neighbors, the fire wasn't in danger of spreading to surrounding areas, and he had cancelled his insurance policy on it in anticipation of burning the house down.  He lived alone and wasn't trying to harm himself or anyone else.  He was just fed up with everything and to him the house represented everything that had gone wrong in his life and he wanted a fresh start.

So he burned it down.  And got in a lot of trouble.  The firefighters came and tried to put the fire out but it was too far gone.  I know it's probably protocol to try to fight the fire since the authorities would really have no way of knowing that there was no one inside except for the apparently crazy person saying "No, it's okay, I burned the house down on purpose and there's no one in there."

But I kinda felt for the guy.  A man (or woman) should be able to burn their own house down under those circumstances, shouldn't they?    Give me another 10 years and I might be the one in the news for doing something similar. 

[teen persuasion]

May 19, 2015 3:28:17 GMT -5 msventoux said:

I remember a man that got in trouble for burning his house down.  The house was paid off, wasn't close to neighbors, the fire wasn't in danger of spreading to surrounding areas, and he had cancelled his insurance policy on it in anticipation of burning the house down.  He lived alone and wasn't trying to harm himself or anyone else.  He was just fed up with everything and to him the house represented everything that had gone wrong in his life and he wanted a fresh start.

So he burned it down.  And got in a lot of trouble.  The firefighters came and tried to put the fire out but it was too far gone.  I know it's probably protocol to try to fight the fire since the authorities would really have no way of knowing that there was no one inside except for the apparently crazy person saying "No, it's okay, I burned the house down on purpose and there's no one in there."

But I kinda felt for the guy.  A man (or woman) should be able to burn their own house down under those circumstances, shouldn't they?    Give me another 10 years and I might be the one in the news for doing something similar. 

Just deciding to burn your house down, by yourself, puts others at risk, so, no, you shouldn't be able to just DIY.  First responders are always at risk of injury; fires spread incredibly easily, and often reignite hours or days later from buried smoldering embers;  smoke can be irritating or toxic for others exposed.  Those are just the first things I remember from some of the calls DH has gone out on.

Did this guy disconnect his electricity, gas, water?  Remove all furniture, etc, that would generate noxious smoke when burned?  What if he was injured, someone would have to rescue him.  What about neighbors, animals, trees...?

There are ways to do this, with the help of the fire department.  Fire companies welcome the opportunity to train in a controlled burn situation.  I know of several old houses that the local FCs used for training in a controlled burn.  They didn't just light it and let it go up in a spectacular bonfire, they started fires in certain places and then went in to knock it down, learning what worked better, and safer, and getting experience in a non-emergency situation.  Ultimately they'd get multiple training sessions out of one building before it was demolished.  They also use donated cars to practice on - learning to safely gain access to the inside with the jaws of life and other tools.

[busymom]

You just can't fix stupid! If his wife was in the house at the time, he might have been charged with attempted murder here. Not to mention, how are most houses heated in Georgia? Around here most homes are heated with natural gas, so if he'd severed a gas line, he might have caused an explosion.

[Deleted]

Not sure this press is going to help him get a new job!

Doing significant damage to his home & truck out of frustration that he's out of work and can't sell his house seems a little out there. I guess no one told him that if he wanted 'something to keep him busy' he could have volunteered at Habitat. 

This seems like more than an impulsive reaction to a phone call. Once you hit the first wall don't you think some remorse or logic would kick in? Wish they would have included the wife's part of the story too! 

I guess when people rant about their DH's we can now say "It can't be that bad, I mean he didn't drive his truck through the house". 

I guess he is cleaning up his own mess, so he has some redeeming features. 

[Plain Old Petunia]

May 19, 2015 8:48:44 GMT -5 @rockit said:

Not sure this press is going to help him get a new job!

Doing significant damage to his home & truck out of frustration that he's out of work and can't sell his house seems a little out there. I guess no one told him that if he wanted 'something to keep him busy' he could have volunteered at Habitat. 

This seems like more than an impulsive reaction to a phone call. Once you hit the first wall don't you think some remorse or logic would kick in? Wish they would have included the wife's part of the story too! 

I guess when people rant about their DH's we can now say "It can't be that bad, I mean he didn't drive his truck through the house". 

I guess he is cleaning up his own mess, so he has some redeeming features. 

Agreed. Or sell his house, either.   Or impress the ladies after his wife wises up.

[tskeeter]

May 19, 2015 2:59:19 GMT -5 tallguy said:

A Georgia man says he was so angry after a phone call with his wife that he drove his truck through his house.

John Paul Jones, Jr., 35, of Senoia, says he fully intended to drive his truck from the backyard to the front yard by way of his living room on Thursday.

The Newnan Times-Herald reported that Jones told authorities he'd been frustrated because he hadn't been able to sell his home, but Jones told WGCL that the incident was "just one of those spur of the moment crazy things."

Jones, who works as a contractor, did his own repairs. He appeared in good spirits when WGCL interviewed him on Sunday.

"I've been out of work for the past year and a half. Needed some work," Jones told WGCL. "It didn't pay anything, but hey, it kept me busy."

Neighbors heard a ruckus around 4:40 Thursday afternoon and called police. Coweta County deputies met Jones outside the house, where the truck was parked with furniture caught in the bumper.

"The police came out here, I told them I needed air conditioning," Jones told WGCL "They said, 'open a window.' I told them it wasn't enough. As you can see, I had a nice breeze."

The Coweta County Sheriff's Office said he won't face charges because he damaged his own property, and nobody was hurt.

link

So obviously, if you cannot sell your house, the way to drive up the value is to drive your truck through it.  And what could the wife possibly have said to drive him to it?

(Hmmm, how many more times can I use the word "drive" here?  Okay, I got one more.)

Does it drive anyone else crazy that Georgia is PART OF THE UNION?  (Although I guess I should give him credit for calling it a spur-of-the-moment crazy thing.  There are states where this would be considered normal behavior.)  

Talk about lack of impulse control.

[happyhoix]

Does it drive anyone else crazy that Georgia is PART OF THE UNION? (Although I guess I should give him credit for calling it a spur-of-the-moment crazy thing. There are states where this would be considered normal behavior.)

Well, I live in Georgia, and while we have our crazies, I have to say, that's kind of a Southern thing. 

Everyone has a crazy Uncle Cooter or brother Bubba who adds a little excitement to their lives, even President Carter.  Ours was Uncle Alvin, who was literally a hobo, riding the rails.

And I will say, in Georgia, there are a lot of really big ass trucks with giant wheels, and a lot of people that live in flimsy single wide trailers, so it might have been pretty easy for this guy to drive through the middle of his house.   

[Virgil Showlion]

May 19, 2015 3:28:17 GMT -5 msventoux said:

But I kinda felt for the guy.  A man (or woman) should be able to burn their own house down under those circumstances, shouldn't they?    Give me another 10 years and I might be the one in the news for doing something similar. 

Most cities ban burning leaves and garbage, so I'm guessing deliberately burning your house down is a no-no.

[Peace Of Mind]

Why in the world would he damage the house?  The house didn't do anything wrong.  I'd drive over who pissed me off before I'd damage my house!  

[Virgil Showlion]

May 20, 2015 14:05:56 GMT -5 Peace Of Mind said:

Why in the world would he damage the house?  The house didn't do anything wrong.  I'd drive over who pissed me off before I'd damage my house!  

Darn straight.

If you're going to go out with a blaze of glory, make sure it's a blaze of glory. Use your brief moment of total destructive freedom to make the world a better place.

If my inhibitions switch ever flipped to 'off', I'd go full Heemeyer, build me a tank, drive it to the zoo, and squish me some uncia. It will be my last and most perfect gift to the world.

[Peace Of Mind]

May 20, 2015 14:15:21 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

May 20, 2015 14:05:56 GMT -5 Peace Of Mind said:

Why in the world would he damage the house?  The house didn't do anything wrong.  I'd drive over who pissed me off before I'd damage my house!  

Darn straight.

If you're going to go out with a blaze of glory, make sure it's a blaze of glory. Use your brief moment of total destructive freedom to make the world a better place.

If my inhibitions switch ever flipped to 'off', I'd go full Heemeyer, build me a tank, drive it to the zoo, and squish me some uncia. It will be my last and most perfect gift to the world.

Don't make me run over your ass!    

[msventoux]

May 20, 2015 14:05:06 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

May 19, 2015 3:28:17 GMT -5 msventoux said:

But I kinda felt for the guy.  A man (or woman) should be able to burn their own house down under those circumstances, shouldn't they?    Give me another 10 years and I might be the one in the news for doing something similar. 

Most cities ban burning leaves and garbage, so I'm guessing deliberately burning your house down is a no-no.

He was outside of city limits.    He even had a burn permit...for small piles of leaves.  His biggest error was disclosing that he burned the house down deliberately.  He heated with wood heat so should have just said it was a chimney fire that got out of control. 

[mroped]

May 20, 2015 13:30:11 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

And I will say, in Georgia, there are a lot of really big ass trucks with giant wheels, and a lot of people that live in flimsy single wide trailers, so it might have been pretty easy for this guy to drive through the middle of his house.   

Big ass trucks with giant wheels are all over not just Georgia!
And those flimsy single wide trailers...I'll put it this way: I pity the fool that tries to drive through one of them! Those things are sitting on two steel beams about 10" high each and with flanges of 5". 
I'd rather drive through a stick built home than through a trailer.

[Virgil Showlion]

May 20, 2015 18:22:20 GMT -5 msventoux said:

May 20, 2015 14:05:06 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Most cities ban burning leaves and garbage, so I'm guessing deliberately burning your house down is a no-no.

He was outside of city limits.    He even had a burn permit...for small piles of leaves.  His biggest error was disclosing that he burned the house down deliberately.  He heated with wood heat so should have just said it was a chimney fire that got out of control. 

I think his biggest error was barbequing his house, but admitting it was deliberate comes in at #2.

[toomuchreality]

May 20, 2015 14:15:21 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

May 20, 2015 14:05:56 GMT -5 Peace Of Mind said:

Why in the world would he damage the house?  The house didn't do anything wrong.  I'd drive over who pissed me off before I'd damage my house!  

Darn straight.

If you're going to go out with a blaze of glory, make sure it's a blaze of glory. Use your brief moment of total destructive freedom to make the world a better place.

If my inhibitions switch ever flipped to 'off', I'd go full Heemeyer, build me a tank, drive it to the zoo, and squish me some uncia. It will be my last and most perfect gift to the world.

Who's Heemeyer?


And think of all the other poor critters and children you'd squish, along the way. By doing this, you'd be no better than the uncia, you rave on about.    -Just sayin'.


You'd better watch out/be nice, or I'm sending POM Peace Of Mind after your a$$!

[Virgil Showlion]

May 21, 2015 7:00:47 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

May 20, 2015 14:15:21 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Darn straight.

If you're going to go out with a blaze of glory, make sure it's a blaze of glory. Use your brief moment of total destructive freedom to make the world a better place.

If my inhibitions switch ever flipped to 'off', I'd go full Heemeyer, build me a tank, drive it to the zoo, and squish me some uncia. It will be my last and most perfect gift to the world.

Who's Heemeyer?


And think of all the other poor critters and children you'd squish, along the way. By doing this, you'd be no better than the uncia, you rave on about.    -Just sayin'.


You'd better watch out/be nice, or I'm sending POM Peace Of Mind after your a$$!

Marvin Heemeyer is an unlikely American folk hero.

He built a tank out of an earth mover and used it to demolish the homes and businesses of his political opponents before committing suicide.

Many consider him a 'hero' because i) his rampage didn't kill anybody, and ii) his political opponents had used shady tactics to drive him out of business.

As for me: I'd be very careful not to squish anyone/anything besides the uncia. I'm not a monster.

[toomuchreality]

May 21, 2015 10:18:41 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

May 21, 2015 7:00:47 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

Who's Heemeyer?


And think of all the other poor critters and children you'd squish, along the way. By doing this, you'd be no better than the uncia, you rave on about.    -Just sayin'.


You'd better watch out/be nice, or I'm sending POM Peace Of Mind after your a$$!

Marvin Heemeyer is an unlikely American folk hero.

He built a tank out of an earth mover and used it to demolish the homes and businesses of his political opponents before committing suicide.

Many consider him a 'hero' because i) his rampage didn't kill anybody, and ii) his political opponents had used shady tactics to drive him out of business.

As for me: I'd be very careful not to squish anyone/anything besides the uncia. I'm not a monster.

Wow. That was an interesting article. Thanks for both the summary and the link!
I remember seeing something on the TV about this guy. But I never heard the whole story. And I had no idea that was his name.
Seriously, thank you.



The uncia and the uncia lovers, are going to think you are a monster. Sorry.
FWIW- My ferret is a monster. But he's the cutest monster ever! I absolutely LOVE that little monster. It's not necessarily a bad thing.