To Catch a Thief.

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Bspring

Bspring

Feeling the Heat
Aug 3, 2007
370
Greenville, SC
I left the house at 9:00 to get a load of wood from a tree that I have been working on for a while. I returned around 11:30 and noticed tire tracks going back on my land. I had a pile of scrap metal that was mostly gone at the end of my wood pile. We have been having a problem with this in my area for awhile now and all my neighbors are hot over this. This is mostly small farms and we are not used to this type of behavior. I have posted signs everywhere and they had to drive across my levy and way back into my woods. Only one way in an out. I found a tight spot and installed the spike strips. They fit into the larger square tubing so all I have to do is remove them when I go through. BTW, I did tell the police about it and they said it would be very unlikely they would be driving their cars around in my woods.
 

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Great idea!!! :) ya should install a game camera there also and post us some funny pictures :cheese:

loon
 
I've been thinking of doing this myself. My gate into my camp has been smashed 6 times in the last 18 months! I caught a couple of the yackoffs and threatened to tie em to a stump and dump molasses down their drawers but they got big balls,, it happened again Sunday nite! I think I'll get the welder fired up and brew up something similar! Thanks for the pics.
 
The cops likely won't be there for the civil suit either.

I sure wouldn't inflict damage on another person's vehicle and post evidence of the act online.

Of course, if anyone out there has a youtube link to some thieving punks getting their just rewards I may view it.
 
Cascade Failure said:
The cops likely won't be there for the civil suit either.

I sure wouldn't inflict damage on another person's vehicle and post evidence of the act online.

Of course, if anyone out there has a youtube link to some thieving punks getting their just rewards I may view it.
Click to expand...
I sure woodnt trespass on someone elses property and steal something that didn't belong to me or damage their property! Pretty typical attitude these days!
 
Cascade Failure said:
I sure wouldn't inflict damage on another person's vehicle and post evidence of the act online.
Click to expand...


I would if they were stealing from me!

Do you honestly think a thief is going to bring civil suit against you because of a couple flat tires? Trespassing on posted property coupled with theft can land you in big boy jail in some states!
 
Nice, it will be funny when they come to you for help. I had a lady steal some fern plants from my woods then her car broke down, she came up to me looking for help. I did help her but then got to put my dig in, I said, "You wouldn't mind if I dug up some plants in your yard would you"?
 
Be alert for any kids playing in the woods. If they step or fall on the spikes, you are liable. Not a big risk, probably, but one to be aware of.
 
dont get me wrong here. Im ALL for giving the theif the finger and a flat tire.

BUT you may want to reconsider, or perhaps post something about the spike on your property next to the no trespassing signs.

People these days are sue happy and as is said in our civil liability training "its not necessary a jury of YOUR peers"
 
Yes, I know the risk and I have read the code. It is my risk to take. I take a strong stance on crime especially crime against me or my family. I was contacted by the police today and they want permission to post some officers on my property. I will find out more about this tonight. Depending on how that conversation goes they may be able to convince me to remove them but there was no talk of that over the phone.
 
I agree with you totally, and the more I think about it the bigger the "grey line" is there. If the lawsuits people talk about so often (when the theif falls through the glass window and sues the company he was breaking into, etc.) are true then I dont think we would see razor wire on top of every car lots fence.

I just wonder is there is some need for the "device" to be visable. Id be intrested to find out the answer to that one.
 
Bspring said:
Yes, I know the risk and I have read the code. It is my risk to take. I take a strong stance on crime especially crime against me or my family. I was contacted by the police today and they want permission to post some officers on my property. I will find out more about this tonight. Depending on how that conversation goes they may be able to convince me to remove them but there was no talk of that over the phone.
Click to expand...

Bspring,
Try to total estimated value of ALL property stolen or damaged. Ask the Police what value is considered a felony. If your total meets the felony requirement the Police may be more interested and may be able to use other resources (plainclothesed officers, overtime, surveillance, etc) to catch the bag guys/gals. Also speak to your neighbors. Try to convince them to report ALL thefts and trespassing to the Police. If the Police get the picture that this is a crime trend and there are multiple victims it may be a priority on their list again enabling them to use more resources.

I would hate to see the bad guys drive by your property, see a Police car with a cop drinking coffee just sitting there, and get away without any charge... or even drive onto your property, get stopped by the Police, and arrested for just trespassing.
Altough this would probably solve your problem, I would like to see them get a nice theft charge. Thats where the plainclothesed Police come in. Surveil them, watch them steal something, maybe even go to your neighbors and steal more, then snatch them up, take them on a tour of the Greenville correctional facility.

just a suggestion.
Good Luck.
 
Rip a few 12 inch strips of plywood and drive nails through them, and flip em over points facing up, and surround the metal at hand. Set em out at night when kids are in bed and pick em up in the morning. If youre vindictive, hang treble hooks by 80 lb test line in the trees around it if you have them growing nearby.
 
Damned crack heads. They get lots of scrap around here. They will take anything that is not nailed down, heck they take what is nailed down and the nails for that matter!
 
Be sure your no tresspassing posters are posted to the letter of the law in regards to height, spacing, signature and date if required. I've seen where incorrect posting, especially during hunting season allows tresspasser to get off the hook because the property was posted incorrectly. Especially if you go ahead with the spike strips, and you may want to make sure all your friends and family are aware of the spike strips as well.
 
kettensäge said:
Be sure your no tresspassing posters are posted to the letter of the law in regards to height, spacing, signature and date if required. I've seen where incorrect posting, especially during hunting season allows tresspasser to get off the hook because the property was posted incorrectly. Especially if you go ahead with the spike strips, and you may want to make sure all your friends and family are aware of the spike strips as well.
Click to expand...

What if its one of them doing it? :cheese:
 
smokinjay said:
kettensäge said:
Be sure your no tresspassing posters are posted to the letter of the law in regards to height, spacing, signature and date if required. I've seen where incorrect posting, especially during hunting season allows tresspasser to get off the hook because the property was posted incorrectly. Especially if you go ahead with the spike strips, and you may want to make sure all your friends and family are aware of the spike strips as well.
Click to expand...

What if its one of them doing it? :cheese:
Click to expand...





They'll scrap the spike sticks too?
 
kettensäge said:
smokinjay said:
kettensäge said:
Be sure your no tresspassing posters are posted to the letter of the law in regards to height, spacing, signature and date if required. I've seen where incorrect posting, especially during hunting season allows tresspasser to get off the hook because the property was posted incorrectly. Especially if you go ahead with the spike strips, and you may want to make sure all your friends and family are aware of the spike strips as well.
Click to expand...

What if its one of them doing it? :cheese:
Click to expand...





They'll scrap the spike sticks too?
Click to expand...


Yea I would just put up a game cam and dont tell a soul!
 
kettensäge said:
Be sure your no tresspassing posters are posted to the letter of the law in regards to height, spacing, signature and date if required. I've seen where incorrect posting, especially during hunting season allows tresspasser to get off the hook because the property was posted incorrectly. Especially if you go ahead with the spike strips, and you may want to make sure all your friends and family are aware of the spike strips as well.
Click to expand...

Ya- second this one. A simple sign that reads "No trespassing" is not legal posting in most places. Not saying that this causes people to commit crimes, but you need to CYA with any actions like you're taking. Best of luck in this- I hope you cause more damage than they've stolen from you. I can't stand this sort of thing.
 
XactLEE said:
Cascade Failure said:
The cops likely won't be there for the civil suit either.

I sure wouldn't inflict damage on another person's vehicle and post evidence of the act online.

Of course, if anyone out there has a youtube link to some thieving punks getting their just rewards I may view it.
Click to expand...
I sure woodnt trespass on someone elses property and steal something that didn't belong to me or damage their property! Pretty typical attitude these days!
Click to expand...

I don't trespass or steal either...
 
lukem said:
Cascade Failure said:
I sure wouldn't inflict damage on another person's vehicle and post evidence of the act online.
Click to expand...


I would if they were stealing from me!

Do you honestly think a thief is going to bring civil suit against you because of a couple flat tires? Trespassing on posted property coupled with theft can land you in big boy jail in some states!
Click to expand...

Respectfully, don't be so dang naive. Many a suit has been filed by someone committing a criminal act who was injured or "wronged" in the process of said act.

I didn't say I would let the theft ride. I said I wouldn't post evidence of my counteractions online.
 
Was the pile of scrap metal visible from the road or other public place? If not, my first suspect would be someone who knew the stash was back there.
Doesn't seem too likely that a stranger would just randomly drive back to a hidden, remote area of your land looking for something valuable to steal.
 
-PB- said:
Bspring said:
Yes, I know the risk and I have read the code. It is my risk to take. I take a strong stance on crime especially crime against me or my family. I was contacted by the police today and they want permission to post some officers on my property. I will find out more about this tonight. Depending on how that conversation goes they may be able to convince me to remove them but there was no talk of that over the phone.
Click to expand...

Bspring,
Try to total estimated value of ALL property stolen or damaged. Ask the Police what value is considered a felony. If your total meets the felony requirement the Police may be more interested and may be able to use other resources (plainclothesed officers, overtime, surveillance, etc) to catch the bag guys/gals. Also speak to your neighbors. Try to convince them to report ALL thefts and trespassing to the Police. If the Police get the picture that this is a crime trend and there are multiple victims it may be a priority on their list again enabling them to use more resources.

I would hate to see the bad guys drive by your property, see a Police car with a cop drinking coffee just sitting there, and get away without any charge... or even drive onto your property, get stopped by the Police, and arrested for just trespassing.
Altough this would probably solve your problem, I would like to see them get a nice theft charge. Thats where the plainclothesed Police come in. Surveil them, watch them steal something, maybe even go to your neighbors and steal more, then snatch them up, take them on a tour of the Greenville correctional facility.

just a suggestion.
Good Luck.
Click to expand...


Any update Bspring?
What say the cops?
 
Kenster said:
Was the pile of scrap metal visible from the road or other public place? If not, my first suspect would be someone who knew the stash was back there.
Doesn't seem too likely that a stranger would just randomly drive back to a hidden, remote area of your land looking for something valuable to steal.
Click to expand...

Nothing is anywhere close to being visible. I have wondered about this myself. I do know that scrap metal scroungers will nose around in places that they may not should be because all the easy pickings are gone.

I had my talk with the police last night and was told not to dicuss any thing with anyone until the investigation was over. If I catch my thief I will post an update. BTW, they did not make me remove my spikes.
 
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