I Missed The Burglar By 5 Minutes Tonight!

[BamBams]

Door bell rang at 11:10pm tonight.  About the time I'd normally be going to work. Waited a few minutes, and there was nobody there.  No cars either.  I went outside and looked around - nobody.  I figured some youngsters were just pranking people.  I decided to drive to a nearby convenience store for a pop - thinking I might also see the kids.  Upon returning, my 15 year old daughter greets me at the door.  

She said that some guy, wearing all black with a black watch cap, came into the apartment from my bedroom window.  When he got to her door, she slammed it closed on him.  He didn't think anyone was home.  He took off and left through the front door.  She couldn't call the police because our phone is temporarily disconnected, so we both took a drive to the police station.

She said he sounded like a high school kid as he was petting our puppy and talking to it downstairs.  

I missed this guy by 5 minutes!  I'm kinda glad.  I might have killed someone's child.  The only thing stolen was a cell phone.  Fortunately, the service on that phone was turned off 6 months ago, and the battery was deader than a door nail.

This is the second time in a two months that I've had someone enter my apartment.  The first kid got his nose shattered, followed by a long lecture.

I think I would have possibly killed this kid though since he was wearing all black - dressed like a career criminal.

Anyway, the cops around here are pretty useless.  The investigator made truly idiotic assumptions.  I'll go and get a copy of the report tomorrow.

[Haywire Haywood]

On the surface, it sounds like you left your window open.  Since you had a break in a couple months ago, some extra precaution might be in order.  

My wife is always accusing me of locking her out.  When I walk in the door I lock it behind me.  It's a habit I've had for a long time.  I don't want someone walking in on me.  It coulda been a bad thing with your daughter in the house alone.  

I am always harping on her to lock the deadbolt.  She'll walk out the door to go to work with both hands full and doesn't want to take the time to walk back to the door and lock it properly.  She just turns the lock on the door knob as she walks out.  Drives me nuts it does.  :-D

Ian

[williamlayton]

Hang in there Bams.
Blessings

[Don Fischer]

Hey Bams ya shouldn't have shattered his nose with a lecture, ya should'a used a baseball bat. Then you should have reassured him that the next time the lecture would be would sound more like a loud BANG!!! And I'm not real good about locking my place up either, why should I, I have the mean's and the will to protect myself and my property. I refuse to live in fear of some thug! The only thing I fear in this country is our government.

[Curtis]

My son is bad about leaving the doors unlocked.  I am like another poster (Haywood I think) that compulsively locks doors (once my home is "clear" I don't want to have to clear it again I guess).  I told my son "If I shoot someone who just wandered into the wrong house all because you didn't lock the door, me and you are going round and round"!!!   :x  

If locking my doors while I'm home keeps me from having to take a life (even a bad guy), so much the better.

Curtis

[JPSaxMan]

I'm kinda like Curtis. Before I turn out the lights at night I double check each door to ensure that they are locked. I'm tucked in a lil valley out in NEPA, so a robbery is a rareity, but not impossible. Bams, thank God your daughter wasn't hurt by this menace. Hope it doesn't happens again.  

[jh45gun]

BamBams if you wound up killing some kid after he broke into you place and he was armed or full of drugs would his being a kid matter. Kids can kill as easy as grownups. He crossed the line when he broke in. That may sound harsh but it is a better thing than some one saying at your or one of your families funeral yea the guy that did it was just a kid. Jim

[Ron T.]

Bams...

How lucky you are that the guy wasn't a rapist... or a "meanie" who likes to hurt people... your daughter might have been his latest innocent victim.

You're equally lucky you weren't at home and in a bad mood, or you very well might have shot the intruder.

I doubt that any decent man would WANT to shoot ANYONE, especially a kid... not even a "not-so-great" a kid... but then, we have little choice when our "abode" is illegally broken into and our peace and safety invaded.

But then, you're a level-headed guy... so maybe little more than a bloody nose and a lecture (AGAIN!) might have been the result.  Regardless, none of us like to be put in that position.

Hang in there, Big Guy... none of us WANT to be a victim of crime... and as long as we're reasonably wary, we can hopefully avoid becoming another "crime statistic", eh?


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

[BamBams]

Thanks to everyone for their advice.  I am going to be much more careful about locking things up around here from now on.

Jim,

When I was a school kid, I was far from perfect.  The truth be known, if my mother hadn't intervened in my life in a very powerful way, I'd probably still be living somewhere in NY and member of the Mafia by now.

I believe that young people deserve a 2nd chance.  I got one, and I used it to turn my life around because I knew I'd never get another.

I'd hate to shoot a kid, but yes, I definitely would if I felt that lives were in danger.  Most likely, since this guy appeared "unarmed" to my daughter, if I had been here, I would have jumped him, broken a few of his bones, cuffed him, sent my daughter to the neighbor to call the cops, and spent some quality time with him telling him what an idiot he is acting like.

My daughter said that if she had a gun, she would have shot him right through the bedroom door being that she had already ID'd him as a burglar.  She was VERY brave in this incident.  I feel like crap for not being here.  

Today the property manager came by to see how we were doing.  I thought that was nice of her.  I also went and informed some of my neighbors so they can keep an eye open also.

[jh45gun]

Well I would have to agree that being there would dictate to what action you would take. I am not bloodthirsty either but would not be impressed getting done in by a kid either any intentions that he meant harm would dictate force in return. I was never in either place but I have to wonder about our guys getting killed in Nam with kids with grenades on them or now with young kids now as suicide bombers? To say the least I would rather be a live survivor instead of a dead victim.

[powderman]

A 14 year old kid will kill you just as dead as a 40 year old, and sorry to say, a lot quicker, no hesitation, and no remorse. I believe tv, movies, video games, and so called music have de sensitised our youth to life in general. Rap crap should be banned, at least most of it.  POWDERMAN.            

[Num_1_Dad]

I feel like crap for not being here.

Don't do that...You can't be everywhere at the same time. You don't want to become a prisoner of your own home.

[JPSaxMan]

I believe tv, movies, video games, and so called music have de sensitised our youth to life in general. Rap crap should be banned, at least most of it.  POWDERMAN.            

Nothin personal, but I think that's a load of crap. I feel that stuff will get to kids only through route of the parent first. If the parents can't have a reign on their child, this stuff will happen. The media involvment with children is nothing more than a scapegoat in my opinion. Video games have been proven to improve hand-eye coordination in developing children, if kids watch the news (like mine do), and only some sitcoms (The Apprentice, Cold Case, Third Watch, ER, that stuff) how can TV be bad? Violent movies are just movies, most kids are not effected by such stuff. Unless of course they have no guidance in life, then sadly they have nothing else to look to.

And as a musician I feel rap is just another type of music. About 60% of it is actually good. Then the other 40% is just wannabe stuff.

Like I said, nuttin towards you Powderman, I just don't believe in the stereotype.  

[Haywire Haywood]

I've read somewhere (maybe here even) that in the 50s, folk were blaming the then new comic books on kids getting out of hand...  Every generation has it's scapegoats.  

Ian

[jh45gun]

Well I have to agree with Powderman Rap is crap as far as I am concerned and the lyrics are not fit for a bowery bum let alone a kid. Yea I can hear some of you now saying what about Country or Rock where cheating ect was mentioned yea it was but it was more implyed than getting slapped in the face with it like Rap does. Or the downright violence and disregard for authority. Also putting drugs and abusing women in a high regard. Problem is when we were kids back in the 50's ect we were taught right from wrong and we had to answer for our actions. Drugs were not up front either but way in the background for most folks. These days a lot of kids do not  have to be resonsible for their actions the liberals have seen to that and with drugs so available drugged out foks rob and do stupid things we never would have thought of doing. Cartoons were violent and so were westerns when we were kids but we knew they were stories. Todays TV and Movies are Graphic and some kids I feel do want to emulate them. When I watch a movie of a guy who goes against the system and takes out the bad guys I feel like too bad that could not happen in real life but I know it cannot yet you still feel that way though you know that legally it would be wrong. Thats because I was taught the difference. Some of todays kids were never taught that and feel they can get by with anything as the liberals have seen to it that they have so called rights and parents and teachers cannot properly disipline them or it is called child abuse. A swat on the butt ect is a far cry from down right beating a kid but nowdays there is no dividing lines swat a kid to disipline him and you could be in trouble. When I was a kid I hardly ever got spanked  as I knew the threat was there and that kept me in line. Not that my parents were abusive they were not they were loving parents but still back in them days a spanking was acceptable and us kids knew it you could get disiplined at school too and then when you got home you may also. There is a difference between a spanking and beating a kid. Too bad the liberals cannot tell the difference. Now days like I said Kids do not have to answer for their actions and when they get out of control and nothing happens to them they figure they can do anything. That works until they either wind up dead or in prison and then it is too late.

[Don Fischer]

When I was a kid, my mother was home. So was all my buddies mother's.
I don't recall ever seeing the blood and gore of movie's today. And our music was not laced with filthy word's and encouragement to kill other's.
Cop's were our friend's, court's did not make law from the bench, you could afford to go to the doctor and attorney's could be held liable for what they did. When I came home, we were called baby killer's and to many wished we didn't make it home, american's (?) were excerizing their freedom of speech in Hanoi, but we still had the V.A., which treated us as tho we owed them money. We had war protest song's that were actually void of foul language, and dancing wasn't dirty. And in the movies, no one told anyone else to go "f&&k off". A bumper sticker was vulger if it had "damn" on it and get this, kid's could actually and would actually work in the field's. Most of the car's in the school parking lot belonged to teacher's and there were no lock's on school door's to keep bad out and good in, cop's came to school because they were civic minded, not because they were answering a call.

These thing's are mostly gone now, it's called progress???

[jh45gun]

Good Points Don.

[JPSaxMan]

I guess even if my theory is right, there's still that kind of stuff that goes on regardless of what it should be. My kids are tellin me all the time about the visits from the State Police or a Corrections Officer up at the school, so that's no surprise. We've made it quite clear that if they (my kids) are caught doin any of that, severe punishment will follow. I told them they wish they'd been killed by the drugs they did if I ever find out about it :x . Anyhoo. It is a sad truth I suppose, that this is what this world is evolving into. Although there are plenty of good eggs out there, there are just as many bad ones to tip the scale the other way. Let's hope it doesn't stay that way.  

[Dali Llama]

This is the second time in a two months that I've had someone enter my apartment.  

the cops around here are pretty useless.

The investigator made truly idiotic assumptions.  

  Perhaps it be time to return to Taxachusetts, suggest Dali Llama? :idea:

[papajohn428]

I live with a smart, charming, bubbly 24-year old who lives her entire life in Condition White, and it's incredibly frustrating.  When I'm home the doors are always deadbolted, and if anyone walks by a window (we're in a trailer park :roll: ) there is a sudden presence at the next window to let them know their every move is being watched.  I am surrounded by nosy old people, and I couldn't be happier about it, they don't miss much, and most are armed.  Still, it's a high-crime area, and I CCW most of the time, legal or not.  I'm no threat to anyone who's doing what they are supposed to, but one transgression and they will wish they had kicked a grizzly bear instead.  I just wish my honey had a little more she-wolf in her, I'm trying to teach her to grow some fangs but it's a slow process!

Papajohn

[Dali Llama]

I live with a smart, charming, bubbly 24-year old

Ain't you the sly one at age 47, comment Dali Llama. :grin:  :grin:  :grin:

[papajohn428]

Sly?  No.  Good for her?  You bet.  Her parents think it's wonderful, because I can teach her a lot, they worry about her too.  Having the instincts of an ex-LEO, they know I look out for her in ways she hasn't thought of.  I'm doing all I can to teach her about the evil in the world, and how to stop looking like food, lest she be a meal for a predator.  Besides, she has the best heart of anyone I've ever known, and after two rotten marriages, I need someone like Polly Purebread!  She keeps me young.  And to paraphrase your own style, "Papajohn think Dali be somewhat jealous!" We are incredibly good at spoiling each other, we take care of each other, and we know when to be goofy and when to be serious.  Life is good.

So there!

Papajohn the Cradle Robbing Wiseguy