I witnessed a crime today
So there I am, sitting on my couch watching crappy Saturday afternoon TV. I look out the sliding glass door and notice a man who's maybe 28 or 29 years old. He has stopped at the laundry room, which is directly across from my apartment, looks around and proceeds to pick the lock. At least I'm pretty sure that's what he was doing. He makes his way into the laundry room and starts messing with the soda machine. Not putting quarters in to purchase one, no, he's tampering with it so he can steal the quarters. A petty theft, but a theft nonetheless.
I called the police and they sent out two patrol cars. I was told to stay on the phone with the dispatcher until an officer arrived at the scene. The man leaves the laundry room and I see a police officer run after him. He yells "freeze!" and arrests the thief.
I was questioned by the officer so he could get a better idea of what happened. I've asked to remain anonymous because I'm paranoid. I also ask what will happen to the thief. Not surprisingly, he's already got a warrant our for his arrest. As far as this crime goes, he may only be charged with tampering. I also may need to identify him in a lineup.
What really has me worried is that he might try to find the person who called the cops. There are really only two apartments that have a direct view into the laundry room. I'm also worried that he may have seen my face when he was in the back of the police car. Zero thinks I'm freaking out for no reason. My mom thinks he's too stupid to have noticed me and won't attempt to come back.
Anyone familiar with anxiety disorder will understand what's going through my head right now. All I can think about is ways to protect myself should he come back with a vengeance. It took me at least an hour to calm down enough to type this out.
A) Good for you!
B) Take as much time as you need to calm down... anxiety disorder, from what I know of it, is a bitch to come down from when it kicks in.
C) I'm going to bet that Zero and your mom are both right. You'll be fine.
I accrue pens like Hefner accrues bimbos. -- duckideva
I agree on the balls. Not a fan of the balls. -- wordsmythe asserting himself in OOC Theater
By a gu...f*ck you're in California.
In all seriousness, unless that guy is a sociopath I doubt he'd come looking for the person that got him arrested for breaking into a laundry mat in the middle of the day. He's probably got enough of his plate for whatever bullsh*t that got him the warrant in the first place.
Hollywood kind of plays up this revenge trip that criminals go on but most of the times I've heard about people getting arrested, vendetta isn't really on their mind. I mean arrested for little punk sh*t.
He didn't murder someone for the mob or anything.
If you are really freaked out get a chain for the door and use a long screw and have the phone handy until it blows over.
I wish I could be more helpful but down here in Dixie Land, it's pretty much a given that breaking into someone's house for any reason is a death sentence.
I keep a hunting knife between the box spring and the mattress just for peace of mind.
You could try that.
Letters to the Internet
Swampy called me stupid.
Look, it's like three posts down.
Letters to the Internet
This town is known for being a pretty safe city. Most of the crimes around here are bike thefts and burglaries. About once every 10 years there's a murder.
At first it felt really silly for reporting a man for stealing quarters from a soda machine, but since he's got a warrant, I feel better about it.
As for my safety, I'm going to buy some pepper spray and another phone to put by the bed.
Last.fm
Existing warrant, then getting picked up for the most ridiculous petty theft. I doubt he wants anything more extreme on top of that.
xbl y3llow5 | steam yellow#5 | PSN ForrestTheWicked
You did a good deed. You should be proud of yourself. There should be no chance of him finding out who turned him in, and the warrant just widens the field of potential callers. You've got nothing to worry about.
Now, if you'd witnessed a murder, that's another story:
Too Many Secrets - Now with actual anonymity!
Steam | XBox Live
It was my experience in 23 years of law enforcement that for junkie thief type stuff, they look at getting pinched as a cost of doing business.
I would not worry about a movie type vendetta thing. You didn't get involved in a big time crime. When he gets released from jail he'll be much more interested in his next rock than in who called the cops when he was boosting a soda machine.
Lock your doors and windows like you should always do at night, but other than that, don't worry about it.
With all due respect, the knife thing is stupid.
You don't have to call me Lieutenant, Rosie......
Woof Woof! That's my other dog imitation...
XBox Live: SwampYankee68
Luna, I'm glad you're alright and unhurt. I also think you don't need to worry too much about that guy coming after you.
He's a petty thief, and for him to come after you would only make things worse for him in the long run. He was just looking for an easy way to score some quarters. If I put myself in the shoes of the criminal, I only want to break the law as much as I need to get to what I want. If the charges aren't really that serious, then there's no good reason to seek revenge anyways.
Last year I was the victim of an assault & battery, although it wasn't nearly as bad as that phrase suggests. I ended up going to criminal court a couple of times in order to testify against the perp. I wasn't getting anything out of it except for the knowledge that it'll go on his record, that he'll get the sentence he deserves, and that it should (hopefully) convince him not to attack people anymore. He ended up serving a light jail sentence.
You can be damn sure that I was worried about this guy coming back for revenge, especially since he probably would've been able to walk free if I'd simply not shown up for court. Since Rolanberry was also involved, I was afraid for her as well. However the police explained that if he made any contact with us, it would ruin his chances in court.
Since I wasn't going to seek a civil suit for damages, at first it seemed that pursuing the criminal charges against him was an unnecessary risk. However I decided that it was worth taking that risk just to reduce the chances of this guy attacking someone else in the future. Not to get on a moral high horse, but I really feel like I did the right thing by showing up for court, and I am kinda glad that I got the opportunity to see the justice system in proper working order. In my opinion, when you called the police, that was also the right thing to do, and you should be proud for taking that initiative. Who knows what might have been his next target?
Also, perhaps there's someone at the police department in your area that can answer some of your questions or allay some of your concerns. My area's PD has a Victim Services subdepartment.
EDIT: By the way Bonus, that clip is a column of awesome.
EDIT 2: Inserted and bolded a crucial word above
In Ultima Online I used to poison hams and leave them on the ground in cities for people to pick up and eat. I can't believe how many people thought street ham was a good thing to eat. -Elliottx
This guy spends his time stealing quarters from laundry rooms. Revenge sounds like it would be beyond his criminal capabilities. Unless maybe the revenge involved making off with any spare change you have lying around.
I don't have Swampie's experience, having only been in the business for a couple of years before I went into IT, but I never heard of anyone coming back for revenge. Honestly, there isn't a way for him to find out.
You're probably every bit as safe as you were before.
Unfettered Blather - Daily updated nonsense
X-Box Live Gamertag - CrazedJava
Less chatter more splatter!
Or just keep swampy around to make them cry whenever they try to...
*sniff*
... don't do it Chiggie. Not in front of all these people.
I wasn't saying "go get a killing device", although I see that's how it came off. I mean, find something that gives you that piece of mind, for your anxiety, since I really don't think you'll ever see that guy again.
Like people that keep baseball bats under their bed, that kind of thing. Just whatever kind of security blanket you need to get some shut eye.
Letters to the Internet
We have a lacross stick that someone actually left in our backyard that we keep by the bed. The only time I really think about it is when I can't sleep and I'm entertaining myself with scenarios of how I would fend off the zombie hordes with it long enough for Shawn to climb out the window onto the roof and then pull me after him.
...I think about zombies too much.
My ongoing D&D campaign, Gaald, Certis and Trachalio playing
With all due respect, thinking Certis would slow down to help you once he got free is stupid.
I keed, I keed.
Sorry, Chiggie. I don't mean you were, I just mean that with stuff "by the bed" it isn't going to do much good. Most victims of home invasions don't know someone is in their home until their head is being bashed in or they are getting otherwise assaulted. If someone is really nervous about stuff like that, an alarm is the best first step.
You don't have to call me Lieutenant, Rosie......
Woof Woof! That's my other dog imitation...
XBox Live: SwampYankee68
Thanks for all the reassuring replies. It's making me feel a bit better. I think I should point out the moral of the story though: don't watch sh*tty TV on a Saturday afternoon.
Last.fm
I love The Stranger, especially for gems like this. Link may not be SFW by the way.
Do you ever walk alone like a drifter in the dark?
No sh*t? Well what's the second step?
I, too, think that anyone tampering with vending machines is not a threat to your safety, luna. And I commend both you and Yoyoson for reporting criminals to the police.
Quote:
- Legion, taking "keeping it in the family" to a whole new level.
Xbox Live: Fedaykin98
If you are capable, the second step is a weapon for self defense. If you aren't, the alarm and telephone will be enough unless some Columbian Drug Lord's hit squad is coming for you...
You don't have to call me Lieutenant, Rosie......
Woof Woof! That's my other dog imitation...
XBox Live: SwampYankee68
One can never think about zombies too much.
XBox Live: OldMud
If I was drinking something, it would have shot out of my nose and you'd owe me a keyboard. Well done.
Certis beat me to it. - Elysium
Sad story, 5/10. Too sad.
Your friendly neighbourhood hair splitting singularity.
Aperture scientist is my alter ego.
Believe me, I think about this every time I trip over my own shoes when I get up in the middle of the night to pee.
It's just the objects presence that reassures me, not that I think it could really come in handy.
I've used knives (as tools) all my life, I'm comfortable with them, their dangerous, and it's right there by me for what it's worth. And that's enough to get the snoring to start.
Like I said it's a security blanket.
Letters to the Internet
Understood, and if you are skilled and awake it may well be an option (I'd still call 911 first)
You stand a much better chance if you aren't sleeping or just waking up when an intruder is already in your bedroom is the basis of my point I guess. For what it is worth, in every night time home invasion THAT I AM FAMILIAR WITH, except one, the intruder got into the home through an opened or unlocked first floor door or most often window (cutting the screen during summer.) Unless they have targeted a particular individual (usually a female living alone or with just young children), they will move on to another home if the first floor is all locked up. The noise they would make breaking in gives the homeowner time to wake up, call 911 or grab a biscuit, so they don't often do it.
You don't have to call me Lieutenant, Rosie......
Woof Woof! That's my other dog imitation...
XBox Live: SwampYankee68
I bet I could handle myself pretty well if his back was turned. And it was dark. And he was deaf.
Of course then he'd probably have wandered in by accident, and that would be awkward.
Letters to the Internet
I've seen you play Splinter Cell. You'll be fine, as long as you have a pipe on the ceiling of your room, so you can hang on it then snap his neck.
You don't have to call me Lieutenant, Rosie......
Woof Woof! That's my other dog imitation...
XBox Live: SwampYankee68
Sweet, steps one and two are both a "check". I suppose step three would be a large dog, but Sigsbee went with a small dog the size of a breadbox who sleeps on our bed. Well, at least she's a light sleeper.
Clearly, between this, the Certis/Brennil joke, yadda yadda yadda, SwampYankee owns this thread.
Quote:
- Legion, taking "keeping it in the family" to a whole new level.
Xbox Live: Fedaykin98
Either that or a lot of cocaine, but watch your terrace!
As long as the dog makes noise, I'd say that's the most important part. Criminals don't like noise. Of course, neither do neighbors.
XBox Live: OldMud
Installing it right now.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
I concur with Swampy. People that knock over vending machines don't plan revenge, they think about where they are going to steal their next $10 so they can get a hit of crack/meth/oxycodone/xanax.
How do keep your stuff safe:
1)Shut/Lock all doors/windows. That will eliminate 95% of crime done to you.
2)Get an alarm or put an alarm "sign" in your yard. The sign is arguably more important.
3)Get a dog. Doesn't have to be big, just one that barks. Most scumbags are terrified of dogs.
4)If you go out of town for an extended period, take steps to protect your house/car.
4)Don't have a large quantity of drugs or money in your house. I can't stress that enough. 100
% of home invasions that I have worked were a direct result of drug activity.
99)Purchase a firearm. It's really a catch-22, because guns are a hot commodity after drugs and money. If someone found out you have one, they might risk 1 thru 3 to get their hands on it.
"That's because you were 10. Everyone likes Garfield when they're 10. When you're 10 you think a cat eating lasagna is genius." - Mumford
BF2 Stats
2005 GWJFFL League Champion
Hahaha, yeah, the guy taking quarters from a laundry machine on a saturday is surely a criminal genius that will give no quarter and hunt you down until his death... OR YOURS[i]
I honestly wouldn't worry at all... But if it makes you feel better, try signing up for a light martial arts class. Although from your anxious post, you're probably better off doing Yoga...
edit: Hmm, yeah, I guess I agree with the Alarm suggestion above me
The man wears a bucket of KFC on his head. I wouldn't expect anything less. - Pred