# Buy a house and get arrested when you try to move in. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 22, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596 "2012-04-22T15:18:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/41 "2012-04-23T17:03:46Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Not necessarily. People do break into empty houses to steal copper pipes or plumbing fixtures. Sure, it might be a reason to be suspicious, but its not a reason to think that it is “likely” that a felony is being committed. Plus, if you think the house has been abandoned by previous owners, why do you care if someone is stealing copper wiring out of the house? It’s not worth it for me to take a chance of getting shot over. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/42 "2012-04-23T17:09:26Z")
Raise your hand if you knew before reading the story that the couple that got arrested was black. :Raises hand: ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/43 "2012-04-23T17:24:49Z")
**Quote: Jean Kalonji, an immigrant from the Congo** > [@monstro](#): > > “Hey, man. Remember that time when I held a gun to you and your wife and got ya’ll arrested? Well, er, I’ve been feeling awful about it. So I brought you a pie. Are we cool now?” “Of course you’ll have the good sense not to mention that I spoke to you.” ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/44 "2012-04-23T17:35:45Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Raise your hand if you knew before reading the story that the couple that got arrested was black. > > :Raises hand: The husband is black. His wife is white, which of course might be a fact even more offensive to the sort of people who would go storming into someone else’s house with guns thinking that constitutes some sort of civic duty. You’d think they were Neighborhood Watch captains or something. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/45 "2012-04-23T17:35:50Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Sure, it might be a reason to be suspicious, but its not a reason to think that it is “likely” that a felony is being committed. > > Plus, if you think the house has been abandoned by previous owners, why do you care if someone is stealing copper wiring out of the house? It’s not worth it for me to take a chance of getting shot over. I completely agree about not going over to the house. But I would call the police. First, as just a general principle of not being a bystander when something wrong is going on. Second, I’d also be specifically against any criminals robbing houses in my neighbourhood - if they get away with robbing the vacant house next door this week, they might come back and rob my house next week when I’m not home. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/46 "2012-04-23T18:46:48Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Plus, if you think the house has been abandoned by previous owners, why do you care if someone is stealing copper wiring out of the house? How noble and courageous of you to turn a blind eye to evil-doers. Perhaps you’ve never heard the expression “all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” I’m not saying you should confront potential thieves with deadly force, but fergodsake, are you saying you would watch what you believe to be a crime being committed, and not even have the common decency to call the cops? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/47 "2012-04-23T19:31:38Z")
I’m glad it didn’t happen this way, but it would have been real interesting to see the reaction of the vigilante-lovers if the new home owner and a gun, and with full stand your ground justification had blown the head off the neighbor. As for whether to call, stripped houses next to yours don’t do a thing for your property values, and it is probably good if you neighborhood has a reputation of one where people look out for one another. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/48 "2012-04-23T19:51:30Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > What kind of pie? Cow. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/49 "2012-04-23T21:51:23Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > 1. Made sure I got to know and get friendly with at least one future neighbor. This. While the armed idiots are entirely in the wrong, who would close on a house without meeting with your neighbors-to-be? You know, the people you’ll be bumping into off and on for as long as you own the house. The new family could have avoided the situation if they’d introduced themselves to all their new neighbors the previous week. Or declined to close after seeing who those neighbors were going to be. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/50 "2012-04-23T21:55:57Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > This. While the armed idiots are entirely in the wrong, who would close on a house without meeting with your neighbors-to-be? You know, the people you’ll be bumping into off and on for as long as you own the house. The new family could have avoided the situation if they’d introduced themselves to all their new neighbors the previous week. Or declined to close after seeing who those neighbors were going to be. I didn’t meet my neighbors for weeks. Actually, that’s not entirely true. One neighbor came by to say hello and welcome us and tell us they were leaving the country the next day for three months. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/51 "2012-04-23T21:57:22Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Raise your hand if you knew before reading the story that the couple that got arrested was black. > > :Raises hand: Schroedenger would be proud. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/52 "2012-04-23T22:19:11Z")
What kind of cops don’t bother to check out the claim, “We just bought the house, and got the key from So and So.”? ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/53 "2012-04-23T22:26:49Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > How noble and courageous of you to turn a blind eye to evil-doers. Perhaps you’ve never heard the expression “all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” > > I’m not saying you should confront potential thieves with deadly force, but fergodsake, are you saying you would watch what you believe to be a crime being committed, and not even have the common decency to call the cops? I should have said that if I see people working inside what was formerly a vacant house, I would assume that they were there for the 99% of legal reasons one could be there and dismiss the 1% of illegal reasons and probably not give it a second thought. It I was otherwise dressed and outside, I would probably introduce myself to them. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/54 "2012-04-23T22:28:17Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > What kind of cops don’t bother to check out the claim, “We just bought the house, and got the key from So and So.”? Stupid racist ones. Seriously…they can produce the key to the house that was once vacant and for sale and the cops think they are breaking in due to gun-brandishing next door nitwits? ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/55 "2012-04-24T13:21:19Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Those people should be held in jail. [And they are:](http://www.ajc.com/news/newton-county-neighbors-charged-1424231.html) > [@](#): > > A Newton County man and his son who authorities said held a gun on the new owners of a neighboring home were arrested Monday night and charged with aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal trespass. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/56 "2012-04-24T13:30:17Z")
I wonder if the police officers will also be charged with battery, false imprisonment, and criminal trespass? ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/57 "2012-04-24T13:49:51Z")
I think the problem with pro home defense laws is not that it’s inherently bad to defend your own property – you SHOULD be able to defend your own property, especially if you’re living there, and if someone is breaking in for nefarious purposes, they can take their chances. If you break in to rob someone, and accidentally look like someone who was going to kill them, and they defend themself with deadly force, then bad luck. Sorry. The problem is, IT DOESN’T WORK, because it leads to scenarios like this, where two different people legitimately think they’re defending their property. And if they both use deadly force, bang, bang, you have at least one needless death ☹ In this case, the neighbours thought (very wrongly) they were defending the next-door house. It seems they were rightly arrested. But thank goodness the new owners didn’t ALSO defend the house with guns, or someone would probably be dead. But the same applies when someone has some other more legitimate reason for breaking into a house (eg. wrong address, police, repossession, etc, etc) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/58 "2012-04-24T14:16:15Z")
> [@Shade](#): > > I think the problem with pro home defense laws is not that\*\* it’s inherently bad to defend your own property \*\*-- you SHOULD be able to defend your own property, especially if you’re living there, and if someone is breaking in for nefarious purposes, they can take their chances. If you break in to rob someone, and accidentally look like someone who was going to kill them, and they defend themself with deadly force, then bad luck. Sorry. > > The problem is, IT DOESN’T WORK, because it leads to scenarios like this, where two different people legitimately think they’re defending their property. And if they both use deadly force, bang, bang, you have at least one needless death ☹ In this case, the neighbours thought (very wrongly) they were defending the next-door house. It seems they were rightly arrested. But thank goodness the new owners didn’t ALSO defend the house with guns, or someone would probably be dead. But the same applies when someone has some other more legitimate reason for breaking into a house (eg. wrong address, police, repossession, etc, etc) The point you’re missing is that you are defending your LIFE, not property.(Texas and other hellholes excepted) The next door idiots had no business trying to “defend” someone else’s property. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/59 "2012-04-24T14:54:50Z")
> [@Turek](#): > > [And they are:](http://www.ajc.com/news/newton-county-neighbors-charged-1424231.html) > [@](#): > > A Newton County man and his son who authorities said held a gun on the new owners of a neighboring home were arrested Monday night and charged with aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal trespass. I’m sure someday they’ll both laugh about it at the block party. The cellblock party. ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596/60 "2012-04-24T17:13:49Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > What kind of pie? Minnie’s Conciliatory Chocolate Pie. [It’s all-natural!] —G! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-a-house-and-get-arrested-when-you-try-to-move-in/619596.md?page=4)