Wood thief - again

[berlin]

In NYS you can use physical force, but not deadly physical force, to prevent or interrupt the comission of certain crimes, stealing firewood is among them.

 

[PapaDave]

One of my daughters had a restraining order against an old boyfriend. Didn't stop him from driving by the house, phone calls, etc., etc.
Cops were called more than once, and one of 'em tells me, "a baseball bat to the knees works pretty well"! I didn't like the idea of a criminal record or spending time in jail or prison, so that was out, but telling.
Cops and us may have a different attitude than the courts.
I would definately have confronted him. I don't like anybody but friends, relatives, and neighbors coming on my property without prior permission. This would go triple for a thief. I might have to hurt someone after all the work put into c/s/sing my firewood. Sorry, but, no excuse and no reason good enough for someone to just come help themselves to ANY of my stuff. I've worked my ASS off my whole life for what I have.
If you didn't work for it, buy it or pay the taxes on it, you've got no right to it. I do.

Dave

 

[kenny chaos]

Not sure what you would do?
You weanies better get a plan together
'cause these things do happen fast and they happen
more often and are happening in more places.
What if the house catches fire?
What if Joe Cocker comes in through the bathroom window?

Nice looking shepard there Ligs.
My Bruno isn't worried about no silly pictures and
I won't be shot while aiming a camera.

 

[blades]

put the greenest wettest stuff out front then sit back and watch for the chimney fire.

 

[Danno77]

KC,
I am just not sure what i'd do about wood theft at my house. If ANYONE comes into my house they had better be invited. I may not have the "read about it in the news" sized arsenal that my FIL and his buddies have, but mine's big enough and the one gun I have access to will do the job I need it to.

there is no excuse for anyone to be in my house without invitation. PERIOD. IF you run into my house yelling my name, then we have a different story, but in the middle of the night you get shot, my family and friends all know me well enough to not make that mistake, so anyone else is there for the wrong reasons and will help answer my question about whether a close range slug from a 12 guage actually blows your head up or just leaves a really big hole in it.

 

[mainstation]

I am with LL.
Get a good dog.

 

[Duetech]

Out of sight does not necessarily mean out of mind at (least for that guy) but it might be for the next guy. Moving a ton of wood a second time does not sound pleasant but it might leave an option for moving it a third time. My wood pile was behind the barn last year and sometimes that meant a foot of snow or more to go through to get it. In the winter I use a toboggan at times and a thief would have had to use the toboggan or a 4x4. Maybe I will hide the toboggan too.
Otherwise I might have to allow myself to be robbed by the high price of heating oil because someone robbed my wood. 911 first! Get help on the way. Sometimes those guys are packin' too.

 

[Linux_Tyro]

You went outside without your shotgun?

 

[Danno77]

You went outside without your shotgun?

yeah, I wouldn't even have left the house without some sort of protection.

 

[burntime]

I like the saying I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6. But really, in your house at midnight, well, thats a whole different story then a face cord of wood...

 

[savageactor7]

Holy cow precaud....you have the patience of a saint.

 

[LLigetfa]

I like the saying I would rather be judged by 12 then carried by 6...

Not to dwell on spelling but then is a when word. By that it would mean you got the death penalty.

I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6.

 

[wahoowad]

My plan is to sneak outside and 'accidentally discharge' either my .357 or 12 ga. in the air and scare the living chit out of whoever is there. Give em something to think about for the future.

 

[burntime]

Fixed er up LLigetfa.

 

[rphurley]

Cops or no cops, I definately would have punched him in the face. Probably a few times.

 

[Birdman1]

Never confront a thief without some type of defensive weapon(GUN).

Use of force: You have a right to use force to protect your person or property, you can escalate "up to and
including deadly" that force as needed to overcome the person you are trying to detain.
You are not obligated or required to retreat in any way. This is not England.

Pepper spray is good stuff, as it is not a weapon, it is a natural agent as long as it is O.C. spray,
(Oleoresin Capsicum) and is, again not a weapon.

Things to remember for use of force are statements along the line of "I was in fear for my safety","I felt threatened"
these are your friend when it comes time to fill out the police report.

Most important is, use of force is usually judged on the opinion of what a reasonable person would do under your circumstances.
So if you do not think it is justifiable(in whatever amount) you are probably right.

As far as not tracking the license plate because it was registered to a car and not a truck. I call bulls&%@, unless they told you the
plate was stolen, then the pick up the dude was driving is probably sitting in front of the house that the plate was registered.
Prolly just took it off one of his other cars or such.

Prolly handled it the best way out of any though, cause the cops are too lazy to track the dude though the reg. or can't cause it's a
hot plate. Cause this guy could come at you for revenge from a hundred directions at once and you would have no way of gettin back at him cause he
is now a ghost.

You think they would go lookin for a vehicle with stolen plates. could be the next Ted Bundy for Christ sake.

 

[rphurley]

Never confront a thief without some type of defensive weapon(GUN).

Use of force: You have a right to use force to protect your person or property, you can escalate "up to and
including deadly" that force as needed to overcome the person you are trying to detain.
You are not obligated or required to retreat in any way. This is not England.

Pepper spray is good stuff, as it is not a weapon, it is a natural agent as long as it is O.C. spray,
(Oleoresin Capsicum) and is, again not a weapon.

Things to remember for use of force are statements along the line of "I was in fear for my safety","I felt threatened"
these are your friend when it comes time to fill out the police report.

Most important is, use of force is usually judged on the opinion of what a reasonable person would do under your circumstances.
So if you do not think it is justifiable(in whatever amount) you are probably right.

As far as not tracking the license plate because it was registered to a car and not a truck. I call bulls&%@, unless they told you the
plate was stolen, then the pick up the dude was driving is probably sitting in front of the house that the plate was registered.
Prolly just took it off one of his other cars or such.

Prolly handled it the best way out of any though, cause the cops are too lazy to track the dude though the reg. or can't cause it's a
hot plate. Cause this guy could come at you for revenge from a hundred directions at once and you would have no way of gettin back at him cause he
is now a ghost.

You think they would go lookin for a vehicle with stolen plates. could be the next Ted Bundy for Christ sake.

Lots of great points Birdman, but I found putting a little bit of fear into somebody usually goes a long way. If this guy was a hard-core bad ass, he would have put the fear into the homeowner. Either way, calling the cops first is the best way to handle it.

 

[bren582]

I second the dog method if you have one so inclined... Thinks everything is a game.. including scaring away intruders

 

[CTburning]

I would have invited him inside for a decent breakfast and then shot him.

 

[gibson]

My first instinct is always to knock the guys block off. This instinct was put to the test when I got into it with a guy who was continuously speeding down my street. Finally one day I saw him coming and rolled my kids (unmanned) "big wheel" out in front of his speeding car. He stopped and was acting like a tough guy. I got in his face and "begged" him to please take the first shot. Of course, he didn't. It took every fiber of strength in my body not to give him a smack. Afterwards, with the counseling of my wife, I thought of how stupid it was because I was the one with everything to lose and the dirtbag in the car probably had nothing to lose. Now my policy is not to get worked up and call the cops, in my small town, they have nothing else to do anyway. They respond in minutes. Tough to do when you have the testosterone flowing, though. Shooting him in the butt may be an option "out-west", but in New England, I'd be going to the state pen for a little vacation.

 

[rphurley]

but in New England, I'd be going to the state pen for a little vacation.[/quote]

Ah yes, New England. Home of the Puritans. That's why we can't buy beer on Sundays!

 

[gibson]

It's kind of shocking to hear so many people say "I'd have kicked this guys arse".....would you guys really risk going to jail yourselves for this deadbeat? He would probably turn around and sue you...and win. And he'll get some ungodly settlement which may have been exactly what he was after to begin with.

Who knows...this guy might go around all day doing this HOPING someone will hit him in the face. His lawyer is on speed dial. You just never know these days. Trust nobody, document everything (calls to the police) and don't do anything crazy. At least that's what I'd do....

It IS a dilemma as to what to do in situations like this. The bottom line is that nothing I own is worth dying for. That being said, if you make yourself an easy mark, they WILL be back if there's no fear. Thieves are little more than predators, and predators know that if the risk is greater than the reward, it's always better to move on to easier pickings. That's why I said I'd put the fear of god into him--you come back here and there WILL be consequences......

I travel quite a lot in the 3rd world. One trick I learned long ago is that if I'm ever in a village or a situation where I feel like I'm being "sized up" as a possible robbery victim, I casually reach into my pocket, pull out my switchblade knife (which are legal in Oregon BTW) flick the blade open, and start cleaning my fingernails with the blade tip. Eyes usually pop pretty wide open. I'm not threatening them, but I'm sending a clear message: pick somebody else. I figure they think if I had that knife so handy, what else might I have to defend myself?

NP

How do you get the switchblade on the plane? I agree though, nothing says "crazy dude that you don't wan't to mess with" like a switchblade!

 

[precaud]

Lots of interesting responses here. Few things will get up the ire of a dedicated wood burner than someone stealing his wood.

This wasn't the first time I've confronted someone stealing from me. The first time I did it I nearly lost my life, so I already know the worst possible outcome and it's nothing to be afraid of.

These moments in time are not normal moments. At no point this morning did I feel afraid or threatened by him. I have no doubt he sensed that. It was one of those events that feels like an eternity when you're in it, and seems almost like it never happened once it passes. There wasn't much logical thinking going on. It was a primal, instinctual meeting of wills and he backed down instantly. My main concern wasn't teaching him a lesson or exacting revenge, I wanted my wood back. Once that happened, it didn't much matter to me what transpired from there. Calling the cops was more of a formality, though getting the patrolman's input on what to do to avoid this happening again was interesting.

Prevention: A dog is a good idea, I've actually been thinking of one lately, but not right now. I live in town and I'd have to finish fencing in the property first. A motion-sensing light would merely illuminate the work area for thieves, so that one is out. I relocated half of my burn pile this spring and I'm not going to move the rest and make life any harder for myself. So I'm thinking a wireless motion detector that triggers a buzzer in the house might be the way to go.

Two days ago it was sunny and mid-70's. Today we had our first snow and tonight I'm enjoying the first fire of the season in the Quad.

 

[rphurley]

It's nice for us to fantasize about what we would do, but the reality is, you just want your stuff back. You did the right thing, and thanks for the opportunity for us old folks to express our bravado!

 

[precaud]

Thanks CT. Yup, that is the bottom line.

Oh, and speaking of reality... good luck with the live-in MIL!