F*cking thieves

The BBQ Pit
1

Okay, I’m venting. I’m venting at people that MAY have nothing to do with this, but the writing is on the wall, so to speak.

The kids next door to my friends’ house abuse their own dog. This turned out not to be enough fun, so they started abusing my friends’ dogs, too. No distinct proof of it, but wounded animals, apples, and the fact that the neigbors have an apple tree. Oh, than and later getting a window broken by a thrown apple.

My friends have gone the legal route, talking to city officials and the police, especially when the 10-year-old neighbor came over to the house with a chainsaw and cut up some of the bushes.

The kids smarted off to the cops, and the adults defended the kids. Way to instill values!

So today someone broke into my friends’ house and stole cash and electronics. They knew when my friends wouldn’t be home, they knew that the dogs, while intimidating, won’t acually bite, and they knew that the side door is often kept unlocked. The side door that faces that particular neighbor’s house.

Damnit, I want there to be some justice. Just a little bit of it. These kids are bastards of the highest degree. Just for the stuff they do to the dogs I’d like to see… something. I’m so mad right now I can’t even think what. But (assuming it’s them) when they cross the line into breaking and entering and theft… I know without a warrant or somesuch there’s no way to prove it. I know. It pisses me off because I feel so helpless to defend my friends. To make matters worse, I had thought about going over there today and just hanging out with the dogs. My friends tell me I shouldn’t second-guess my actions, but to have just been there so that this sh*t didn’t have to happen…

I feel helpless and frustrated, and I wish for justice.

That’s all. Back to your regularly scheduled browsing.

2

Damn! Talk about aggravating.

Has your friend called the police? Honestly, it wouldn’t take too much work to figure out those kids were the culprits. A little finger printing, a little search warrant. It’s not like the kids are smart enough to do it right.

3

This is rather difficult, so please bear with me.

Some form of justice (however perverted) was administered.

Your friends were stupid enough to leave their door unlocked while they were away from home.

Someone strolled in and swiped what your friends did not care enough to protect properly.

I doubt they will be leaving their door unlocked anymore.

They should consider it a cheap lesson.

Oh, just one last thing:

A 10 YEAR OLD WITH A CHAINSAW?!?

What the living fuck was a 10 year old doing with a chain saw and why didn’t he get grounded for-fucking-ever after being caught with it?

4

Because the parents gave it to him and told him to go ‘trim’ the hedges.

Unfortunately, finger printing has been ruled out, as the house is pretty dusty (apparently this screws up the chances of getting the print.)

On the other hand… Someone left a shirt behind. No idea as to why. (Current theory is the dogs were outside and for whatever reason the culprit took off their shirt, then the dog got back inside as it knows how to open the back door.) but the shirt is just the right size for a ten-year old boy.

The infuriating thing is that the police told my friends that it’s not enough proof to do anything with. I’m not mad at the cops- they know their business, they’re following the law. What burns me is that someone has now gotten ‘ahead’ by the matter of cash and electronics because, quite simply, they’ve decided that laws aren’t something they should follow. I felt this frustration both times property of mine has been stolen.

Oh, and Zenster, not to sound like an ass, but your argument sounds a lot like saying ‘justice was administered when someone who dressed revealingly was sexually assaulted’.

In the light of day, I’m sure that statement is gonna sound harsh, even to me, but at the moment I’m still plenty pissed off, so take it for what it’s worth.

5

Matey, no offense taken. You’ll please note that I called it “perverted” justice, at best.

Shouldn’t the parents of that kid with the chainsaw be charged with child endangerment? That’s like giving a kid a loaded weapon and leaving him unsupervised.

They should also be able to get some body hair off of that shirt’s interior. If they can, it will be easy to link it back to the owner just by fiber evidence (not DNA). I hope the responding officers bagged it as evidence. If not, they were lax in their duties.

6

Unfortunately the real world is not like C.S.I. :frowning:

7

Nanoda, you may be unaware of the huge advances in fiber analysis that have happened in the last few decades. Properly collected fibers can provide crucial evidence connecting victims to rugs, upholstery and fabrics at crime locations. Just the presence of pet hair on the shirt might have connected things up. While a seemingly small juvenile theft probably ocurred, it was also a case of illegal entry and that represents a much more serious “gateway” crime (which should be of great concern to the officers). If they didn’t treat the shirt like real evidence in a real crime they were lax in their duties.

8

Two words for you and your firends, Matey: Video Surveillance.

Get those fuckers. I remember the last pit thread you posted about them.

Sam

9

Zenster–I think you overestimate how seriously police take “petty” crimes. Having a shirt forensically tested to nab a B&E suspect where nothing of HUGE value was stolen and no one was hurt is pretty much not done. Hell, my car was stolen a while back and when it was recovered–tire flat, battery stolen, interior trashed–they didn’t even try to catch the guys responsible. No fingerprinting, no tests on the hat left behind, not even a knock on the doors of the apartment complex it was found in. Such is the world we live in.

10

I agree with GaWd Get a surveillance video camera and set them up in a sting operation.

I did exactely that and caught the little shits that were the trashing outdoor lights at I house I was landscaping. The police took the tape to the local school and the Principal identified the kids. (No big surprise to learn that one was a well known bully/troublemaker.) When confronted by police with taped evidence the parents paid all the damages. The camera cost about $100.00

11

Zenster - Yeah, some forensic labs can match a microscopic hair found in a car trunk carpet to one found by unravelling a crate of wool sweaters - but like belladonna sez, they ain’t gonna do it for you.

I’d go the covert surveillance route - preferably well hidden so they don’t steal it/saw it up. :stuck_out_tongue:

12

All I’m trying to say is that it would have cost everyone about $25.[sup]00[/sup] to catalog the piece of evidence and it could have been useful. It’s shitty when our public servants no longer act in the public’s interest. That the cops displayed the least disinterest (in the theft or the chainsaw incident) was unprofessional at best. It smacks of a “boys will be boys” attitude and that just plain stinks.

13

Shound DCS be called for a 10 yr old with a chainsaw???

14

The Big Lebowski:

15

Revenge is a dish best served by child protective services.

Another vote for surveilance. It’s pretty clear that the shits haven’t been taught a lesson, and will contiue down the merry path of theifdom. I would go ahead and get footage of the dog pelting, but I wouldn’t get the police involved until you have a nice case of B&E. That’ll get the kids and the parents in some serious, and much needed, trouble.

16

I had a problem similar to your own.

I had to move.

17

I watched this movie last night, and it’s the first thing that popped into my mind :smiley:
Leads… :stuck_out_tongue:

18

We set up the camera in a window facing the street. Did a little test for focus and waited. The tape was interesting to watch. (The kids, bye the way were in the 5th grade.) The instigator kicked the lights with gusto and then rode his bike across the yard and through the plants. His sidekick never rode off of the driveway and gave a halfhearted kick at the already damaged light. We almost felt sorry for him as he did little, but paid the same consequences.

Each of the parents paid half of the damages, and you can bet that my labor rate for the repairs covered the cost of the camera.

Anyway, one set of parents weren’t the least bit apologetic, and didn’t even bring the kid with them when they brought the check.

The other parents demanded that their son apologize and present his share of the damages himself. They also made him tell us what his punishment was.

  1. No longer allowed to associate with his friend.
  2. Lost the use of his bike for the rest of the school year.
  3. Grounded for two months. No TV, no video games.
  4. Extra chores to repay his parents the amount they paid.
  5. He also offered to come and work in the yard on Saturdays as restitution if needed.
19

Let me guess which parents were which DaToad. The ones who didn’t care were the parents of the bully right?

20

You got it Grim.

The bully’s parents didn’t seem the least bit concerned that their kid was exhibiting some anti-social behavior. They were just pissed because we caught the little shit and had the evidence to prove it was him. They weren’t friendly and were barely polite.

The other family was very apologetic, and very polite. They seemed like nice people and genuinely concerned that their son had acted in such a way. They also brought the younger brother with them so he could learn a lesson from his brother’s mistake.