Need to vent and/or commitment for bail $$

[Deleted]

OK, just a quick background.  Two neighbors of 25+ years standing-never close but managed to keep hiss-and-spit to a tolerable level UNTIL Neighbor #1 sent series of harassing letters to Neighbor #2 alleging #2's flowering trees (a) stained her roof and (b) caused #1's dog to track blooms into the house.  This was followed by #1 filing an insurance claim on #2's insurance. Needless to say, insurance company denied the claim.  

Fast forward to last Monday.  Sometime between 6 and 8 a.m., Neighbor #2's house was broken into by 4 punks.  Neighbor #1 saw evidence of the burglary in progress (3 bicycles on #2's driveway plus side gate open) when she left for work before 8 and DID NOT CALL THE COPS!!!  #2 left VM on Neighbor #3's phone about 8:30 suggesting he check it out when he walked his dog.

Neighbor #1 actually told me this today at a community meeting and said she was just too "jammed up and busy" to call the cops or our neighborhood security patrol.  For the record, she's 65+ and only works part-time.

It may not be totally relevant, but #2 has a standard $1,000 deductible so she's out that. They totally trashed the house, destroying windows, screens, furniture, alarm system, emptying every cabinet and drawer onto the floor, etc. Because #2 works at a distance, I met the police, disabled the alarm and made the first entry.  Subsequently I spent many hours helping sort through the disaster zone and pick up the pieces.  

I truly get personal conflicts between neighbors (as HOA prez I deal with this frequently), but isn't there a bottom line of human decency that should not be crossed?
I have only one person in the world I consider an enemy (his designation, not mine) but I would still exert any and all effort if I saw him, his family, or his property at risk.  

Thanks for listening!

[beergut]

Sounds like Neighbor #1 is a raging jackass. 

Karma usually takes care of people like that. 

[milee]

That's outrageous.  Neighbor #1 definitely crossed the boundaries of human decency by not dialing 911.  Hard to believe anyone would be so awful, no matter what the beef between them was.

Quick clarification, though, you state this:  "Neighbor #1 saw evidence of the burglary in progress (3 bicycles on #2's driveway plus side gate open) when she left for work before 8 and DID NOT CALL THE COPS!!! #2 left VM on Neighbor #3's phone about 8:30 suggesting he check it out when he walked his dog."

Don't you mean that #1 left VM on Neighbor #3's phone... meaning #1 saw it, didn't report it and then some time later even proved she knew but didn't report it by leaving a message for #3 to check it out?

[milee]

And if my suggested correction (that it was #1 who saw the crime, didn't report it and then admitted to not reporting it when she left a message for #3) is true... if I were #2 I'd ask #3 for a copy of that voice mail.  Because the voice mail proves that #1 knew about the burglary but did nothing about it.  I'd even think about taking #1 to small claims court for the $1000 claim deductible.  Yes, it's dubious that I'd win the case because as far as I know there's no law requiring a citizen to report a crime, but I think there'd be a pretty good case that her lack of reporting directly contributed to the amount of damage that was done since had #1 called 911, the police would most likely have interrupted the crime which would have at least minimized the damage and vandalism.

That, and I guess I'm being a bit malicious because I'd want to publicly call her out for being such an awful person.  Even if the judge didn't rule for me in a small claims court, I'm guessing s/he'd at least give #1 a "shame" talk.

[Deleted]

Jul 16, 2017 17:18:05 GMT -5 milee said:

That's outrageous.  Neighbor #1 definitely crossed the boundaries of human decency by not dialing 911.  Hard to believe anyone would be so awful, no matter what the beef between them was.

Quick clarification, though, you state this:  "Neighbor #1 saw evidence of the burglary in progress (3 bicycles on #2's driveway plus side gate open) when she left for work before 8 and DID NOT CALL THE COPS!!! #2 left VM on Neighbor #3's phone about 8:30 suggesting he check it out when he walked his dog."

Don't you mean that #1 left VM on Neighbor #3's phone... meaning #1 saw it, didn't report it and then some time later even proved she knew but didn't report it by leaving a message for #3 to check it out?

Milee, you are right-that's exactly what happened.  In so many ways, it's water under the bridge because nothing can achieve a do-over. 

In some weird way I think I and Neighbor #3 are grateful for absolute confirmation of #1's selfish behavior.  We see no reason to inform #2 because she's suffered so much already and had, in fact, already committed to selling her home and moving to another smaller town just a few days prior to the burglary.  

[Opti]

You didn't say anything about stuff being stolen. Is it possible neighbor #1 asked these kids to trash #2's home because she was angry about the insurance, etc. ?

[Opti]

Neighbor #1 actually told me this today at a community meeting and said she was just too "jammed up and busy" to call the cops or our neighborhood security patrol. For the record, she's 65+ and only works part-time.

The more I think about this, the more I feel she's probably why it happened. Most neighbors report break ins because often neighborhoods have multiple breaks ins and you would report in part because you don't want to be next. Calling while she's at work prevents questioning by neighbor #3, police, and allows the perps to get away. If you thought you might be next, being jammed up and busy wouldn't have stopped you from calling.

You'd risk being late to work to prevent a future break in and damage. Obviously she had no worries they were going to trash her place next that night.

I wonder if its a grand kid and some of his buddies.

[dannylion]

Jul 16, 2017 17:41:19 GMT -5 Opti said:

You didn't say anything about stuff being stolen. Is it possible neighbor #1 asked these kids to trash #2's home because she was angry about the insurance, etc. ?

I wondered the same thing. It seems odd that it was specifically neighbor #2 who was targeted for the break-in.

[zibazinski]

I'd be doing fingerprints and checking out her relatives.

[alabamagal]

I get neighbors being bad to each other.  And what #1 did probably looks bad.  But I will come to their defense, and say that is looks kind of bad seing bikes/broken gate.  But #1 called #3 and asked to check it out.  Maybe not the best, but better than nothing.  And "evidence of a burglary in progress" is a bit vague.  Good neighbor thing would be to call cops, but they are not good neighbors.  My reaction on these type of things is to stay out of it.

[Deleted]

Jul 16, 2017 18:52:24 GMT -5 Opti said:

Neighbor #1 actually told me this today at a community meeting and said she was just too "jammed up and busy" to call the cops or our neighborhood security patrol. For the record, she's 65+ and only works part-time.

The more I think about this, the more I feel she's probably why it happened. Most neighbors report break ins because often neighborhoods have multiple breaks ins and you would report in part because you don't want to be next. Calling while she's at work prevents questioning by neighbor #3, police, and allows the perps to get away. If you thought you might be next, being jammed up and busy wouldn't have stopped you from calling.

You'd risk being late to work to prevent a future break in and damage. Obviously she had no worries they were going to trash her place next that night.

I wonder if its a grand kid and some of his buddies.

That would be the usual scenario and how you and I would think but #1 doesn't have normal human concerns or any of these connections and I know from 20 years acquaintance she is not pro-active.  #1 has an unusual perspective on life, believing she is immune b/c she has dogs, etc. 

[andi9899]

Jul 16, 2017 18:56:11 GMT -5 dannylion said:

Jul 16, 2017 17:41:19 GMT -5 Opti said:

You didn't say anything about stuff being stolen. Is it possible neighbor #1 asked these kids to trash #2's home because she was angry about the insurance, etc. ?

I wondered the same thing. It seems odd that it was specifically neighbor #2 who was targeted for the break-in.

Same. I also find it interesting that they were on bikes. If you're going to do a smash and grab, you want to get out of there ASAP and would want a car. Who robs someone on a bike?!

[billisonboard]

Jul 16, 2017 16:47:14 GMT -5 @donethat said:

...Sometime between 6 and 8 a.m., Neighbor #2's house was broken into by 4 punks. ... left for work before 8 and ... left VM on Neighbor #3's phone about 8:30 ... destroying ... alarm system, .., I met the police, disabled the alarm and made the first entry. ...

Thanks for listening!

Always fun to read stories.

[Deleted]

Jul 16, 2017 18:58:32 GMT -5 alabamagal said:

I get neighbors being bad to each other.  And what #1 did probably looks bad.  But I will come to their defense, and say that is looks kind of bad seing bikes/broken gate.  But #1 called #3 and asked to check it out.  Maybe not the best, but better than nothing.  And "evidence of a burglary in progress" is a bit vague.  Good neighbor thing would be to call cops, but they are not good neighbors.  My reaction on these type of things is to stay out of it.

Yes in some situations this might work, but for our 'hood what you don't report can bite you tomorrow.  Local police mantra is "see something, say something".  And now 20+ folks know who doesn't have our backs.  The neighbor who's spent countless hours boarding up #1's window when it broke, repairing her porch light when it died, jumping her car when the battery croaked, cutting the dead branch off her tree, etc. ain't going there again b/c she's made her choice clear. 

[Deleted]

Jul 16, 2017 19:04:39 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Jul 16, 2017 18:56:11 GMT -5 dannylion said:

I wondered the same thing. It seems odd that it was specifically neighbor #2 who was targeted for the break-in.

Same. I also find it interesting that they were on bikes. If you're going to do a smash and grab, you want to get out of there ASAP and would want a car. Who robs someone on a bike?!

BMX bikes are small and quick.  Who suspects a teen on a bike? Or bike can and is easily flipped over a fence so all you see is a teen with a backpack strolling down the street.  We have multiple drainage channels traversing the 'hood that provide an easily navigable escape route.  The  6-8 foot cedar fences that give us privacy also give outstanding privacy to the bad guys.

[zibazinski]

Karma already. If she did have something to do with it, it'll come out as well.

[Deleted]

Jul 16, 2017 19:05:57 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

Jul 16, 2017 16:47:14 GMT -5 @donethat said:

...Sometime between 6 and 8 a.m., Neighbor #2's house was broken into by 4 punks. ... left for work before 8 and ... left VM on Neighbor #3's phone about 8:30 ... destroying ... alarm system, .., I met the police, disabled the alarm and made the first entry. ...

Thanks for listening!

Always fun to read stories.

Not much fun to live them.  I truly hope you never have to experience the violation of a burglary.

[milee]

Jul 16, 2017 19:04:39 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Jul 16, 2017 18:56:11 GMT -5 dannylion said:

I wondered the same thing. It seems odd that it was specifically neighbor #2 who was targeted for the break-in.

Same. I also find it interesting that they were on bikes. If you're going to do a smash and grab, you want to get out of there ASAP and would want a car. Who robs someone on a bike?!

Two types:

1)  Teens causing trouble.  Possible here because of the vandalism.  Seems more than a simple break in if they spent time trashing things.  And although it sounds odd they picked Neighbor #2, maybe that's because the other neighbors had noisy dogs they wanted to avoid or #2 had a good privacy set up where they could do their thing unobserved, etc.

2)  Meth users.  Not rational and "dumb" thieves.  Police will tell you that when they respond to a break in where stupid things are taken - like the huge heavy coin jar - they know the perp is a meth user.  Apparently, they're known for not being very logical, just being opportunistic and not caring if their burglary only nets them a few dollars.  By the time they're meth addicts, many of them have lost/sold their cars if they ever had one.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jul 16, 2017 18:56:11 GMT -5 dannylion said:

Jul 16, 2017 17:41:19 GMT -5 Opti said:

You didn't say anything about stuff being stolen. Is it possible neighbor #1 asked these kids to trash #2's home because she was angry about the insurance, etc. ?

I wondered the same thing. It seems odd that it was specifically neighbor #2 who was targeted for the break-in.

Or it could be that everyone knows that the homeowner works at a distance and is likely to leave early in the am, arrive home later in the evening and not likely to run home in the middle of the day to pick something up.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jul 16, 2017 19:35:07 GMT -5 milee said:

Jul 16, 2017 19:04:39 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Same. I also find it interesting that they were on bikes. If you're going to do a smash and grab, you want to get out of there ASAP and would want a car. Who robs someone on a bike?!

Two types:

1)  Teens causing trouble.  Possible here because of the vandalism.  Seems more than a simple break in if they spent time trashing things.  And although it sounds odd they picked Neighbor #2, maybe that's because the other neighbors had noisy dogs they wanted to avoid or #2 had a good privacy set up where they could do their thing unobserved, etc.

2)  Meth users.  Not rational and "dumb" thieves.  Police will tell you that when they respond to a break in where stupid things are taken - like the huge coin jar - they know the perp is a meth user.  Apparently, they're known for not being very logical, just being opportunistic and not caring if their burglary only nets them a few dollars.  By the time they're meth addicts, many of them have lost/sold their cars if they ever had one.

When I was robbed, ever drawer was dumped, every cabinet emptied.  I came home to a big pile of my stuff in the middle of the floor.  My small valuables were gone, but they left the big, heavy stuff (like the heavy pig that I had been saving for my trip to Greece that contained about $1000 in bills, but mostly coin).

[milee]

People looking for valuables empty places where they might find valuables.  Simple thieves gain nothing by "trashing" things like windows (OP said windows plural, which says either dumb thieves - good thieves don't want to make any more noise than necessary - or vandals), screens, furniture, etc...  That sounds more like vandalism than theft.

[billisonboard]

Jul 16, 2017 16:47:14 GMT -5 @donethat said:

...house was broken into by 4 punks. ...

Thanks for listening!

So can you tell us about these 4 punks so we can end speculating on who did this.

[zibazinski]

If neighbor #1 was involved, I'd doubt her description or anything she said.

[Deleted]

Four males ranging in age from 15 to 18, Hispanic and black, multiple priors for all.  They got two and know who the other two are. The minors will again be prosecuted as juvies with no real consequence.  They pried off multiple screens in an attempt to find an unlocked window but all were locked so they broke one.  Took two laptops, two high-end cameras, Kindle, etc. Flat screen tv too big to carry.  Two laptops were recovered.  Victim works 10 hour days so, yes, leaves at 6 home at 7.  

Victim will be entering a victim's statement at both juvie and adult proceedings in an attempt to get tougher sentences.  That's unlikely to work, but it will certainly make her feel better.  

Another neighbor now says she's seen them hanging out near here early a.m. and late p.m. but of course never, ever, alerted cops or security.  Hope she's their next victim when they get out of jail

[milee]

Jul 17, 2017 9:32:25 GMT -5 @donethat said:

Four males ranging in age from 15 to 18, Hispanic and black, multiple priors for all.  They got two and know who the other two are. The minors will again be prosecuted as juvies with no real consequence.  They pried off multiple screens in an attempt to find an unlocked window but all were locked so they broke one.  Took two laptops, two high-end cameras, Kindle, etc. Flat screen tv too big to carry.  Two laptops were recovered.  Victim works 10 hour days so, yes, leaves at 6 home at 7.  

Victim will be entering a victim's statement at both juvie and adult proceedings in an attempt to get tougher sentences.  That's unlikely to work, but it will certainly make her feel better.  

Another neighbor now says she's seen them hanging out near here early a.m. and late p.m. but of course never, ever, alerted cops or security.  Hope she's their next victim when they get out of jail

Man, that's a tough one.  We struggle with that in our neighborhood.  Our current neighborhood association (not required, voluntary) president is a very opinionated, over the top busybody type.  She really should live in a neighborhood with a required HOA.  One of her signature issues is to get the neighborhood to report people who "don't belong."  This sounds reasonable because of course it would be great to head off crime before it happens.  And especially if you see someone in Florida in July wearing a hoodie and peeking in windows or carrying off a TV, it's completely reasonable to call the police.

But... many of the neighborhood president's messages sound like racial profiling to me.  There are approximately 150 homes in our neighborhood, three entrances and no gate.  There is also a waterfront community park and some vacant lots directly on the water.  Unknown hispanic and black youths may be here to commit crime, or they could be friends of some teens here or they could just be coming in to hang in the park and fish.  She seems to think since there currently aren't any hispanic or black homeowners that means any hispanic or black person that isn't pushing a lawn mower is here to plunder.  She's also overlooking the fact that over the past few years in this neighborhood, the times we've had break ins or theft, the people caught were all white.  In one case, it was a pair of middle aged white women who looked like the last people you'd expect to be criminals working on a scam with an older nonsuspicious looking white guy who drove an upscale getaway SUV.  

Unless you personally know every single homeowner and their families plus all their friends, how would you know if some random teens were residents, visiting residents or truly didn't belong there?  

[thyme4change]

Jul 16, 2017 19:04:39 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Jul 16, 2017 18:56:11 GMT -5 dannylion said:

I wondered the same thing. It seems odd that it was specifically neighbor #2 who was targeted for the break-in.

Same. I also find it interesting that they were on bikes. If you're going to do a smash and grab, you want to get out of there ASAP and would want a car. Who robs someone on a bike?!

Criminals that aren't good enough to steal a car, so they just steal bikes.

Also, bikes can be hidden while you are inside finding small items like jewelry and cash. If someone parks a car out front, my neighbors will see it. If they put a bike on my side yard near my gate only my one neighbor would see it, and only if they happen to be leaving, and they happen to recall what our bikes look like.

[Bonny]

Jul 17, 2017 9:32:25 GMT -5 @donethat said:

Four males ranging in age from 15 to 18, Hispanic and black, multiple priors for all.  They got two and know who the other two are. The minors will again be prosecuted as juvies with no real consequence.  They pried off multiple screens in an attempt to find an unlocked window but all were locked so they broke one.  Took two laptops, two high-end cameras, Kindle, etc. Flat screen tv too big to carry.  Two laptops were recovered.  Victim works 10 hour days so, yes, leaves at 6 home at 7.  

Victim will be entering a victim's statement at both juvie and adult proceedings in an attempt to get tougher sentences.  That's unlikely to work, but it will certainly make her feel better.  

Another neighbor now says she's seen them hanging out near here early a.m. and late p.m. but of course never, ever, alerted cops or security.  Hope she's their next victim when they get out of jail

Wow, that's harsh.

When we got burglarized in Germany our next door neighbors saw someone sitting on our front steps. In hindsight they realized that person was probably a look-out.

I certainly didn't blame them or wish evil on them. Often I think we are too wrapped up in our lives to think about why something didn't look right or seemed out of place.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jul 17, 2017 9:32:25 GMT -5 @donethat said:

Four males ranging in age from 15 to 18, Hispanic and black, multiple priors for all.  They got two and know who the other two are. The minors will again be prosecuted as juvies with no real consequence.  They pried off multiple screens in an attempt to find an unlocked window but all were locked so they broke one.  Took two laptops, two high-end cameras, Kindle, etc. Flat screen tv too big to carry.  Two laptops were recovered.  Victim works 10 hour days so, yes, leaves at 6 home at 7.  

Victim will be entering a victim's statement at both juvie and adult proceedings in an attempt to get tougher sentences.  That's unlikely to work, but it will certainly make her feel better.  

Another neighbor now says she's seen them hanging out near here early a.m. and late p.m. but of course never, ever, alerted cops or security.  Hope she's their next victim when they get out of jail

That's not fair.  You always have 20/20 hind sight and why would you alert someone about kids hanging out? 

At least you now know that they were not 'hired' by neighbor #1 to vandalize, which was implied upthread.

[hoops902]

Jul 17, 2017 9:32:25 GMT -5 @donethat said:

Four males ranging in age from 15 to 18, Hispanic and black, multiple priors for all.  They got two and know who the other two are. The minors will again be prosecuted as juvies with no real consequence.  They pried off multiple screens in an attempt to find an unlocked window but all were locked so they broke one.  Took two laptops, two high-end cameras, Kindle, etc. Flat screen tv too big to carry.  Two laptops were recovered.  Victim works 10 hour days so, yes, leaves at 6 home at 7.  

Victim will be entering a victim's statement at both juvie and adult proceedings in an attempt to get tougher sentences.  That's unlikely to work, but it will certainly make her feel better.  

Another neighbor now says she's seen them hanging out near here early a.m. and late p.m. but of course never, ever, alerted cops or security.  Hope she's their next victim when they get out of jail

If I had to report everyone I saw who "hangs out" in the early morning or late evening...I'd never get to enjoy my life. Hindsight is 20/20. There's a big difference between something happening and me recalling that I'd seen them hanging out in the area before, and me calling the police 30 times per week to report that there are people around hanging out. Just about every single person I see at several houses in the neighborhood look like they're 5 minutes away from committing a crime.

[Green Eyed Lady]

Jul 16, 2017 19:01:30 GMT -5 @sroo4 said:

Oh good lord. Now I've met some jackasses in my time, but this takes the cake. 

My my advice is a good old fashioned neighborhood shaming of neighbor #1. 



 Sroo says a quiet little thank you to the good neighbor gods for her neighbors. 

Amen to that. I had one issue with a neighbor's granddaughter who thought it was funny to poke my dog with a stick through the fence.  We got that straightened out. I have another set of elderly neighbors who need quite a bit of help. If I'm out in my yard, it's like, "Hey! Can you help us with ......?" But that's ok, too. I hope somebody helps my mom if I'm not around.

There may have been little things throughout the years, but nothing like stuff in the OP.