My husband and I have spent the better part of this summer working on our old house that we now rent out. I am guessing that all totaled we spent well over 100 hours cleaning, painting and making repairs. My husband decided that we deserved a small vacation after finishing the house. He decided we should pull our camper to TN and spend a week in the Smoky Mountains.
We had a great time in the Smokies, and the weather was fantastic. We started for home very early on Sunday morning. We needed to be home by 6 pm, because some of our friends were driving 3 hours to drop their daughter off at our home. She was to spend a week with us. We left about 7am and spent about 9 hours on the road home. We were about one mile from home when a man in a passing car waved and pointed to our camper. My husband decided to get out and have a look. One of the tires had blown out on the camper. We decided to limp home the last 1/2 mile on the flat tire.
My husband unlocked the front door to our house and let the kids go on inside. He and I headed to the garage to look for the trailer jack type thing. :-) He raised the garage door, and the first thing that caught my eye was a hack saw and its cover setting on the steps by the back door. My husband picked it up, and then we both caught sight of the back door and the wood shavings on the floor of the garage. It was very apparent that someone had broken into our home.
We immediately left the garage(not wanting to touch anything else), and headed inside through the front door. We sent the kids back outside and began to look though the house. I was relieved to see that my computer was still in its proper place. My husband yelled from our room that I should call the police and head outside. He said that my dresser had been rummaged through and that his pistol was missing.
Our friends arrived about that time with their daughter in tow. I had to explain to them that we had to wait outside(what a mess). The county police officer arrived and asked me to show him around. We headed to the basement first. There were shoe prints all over the carpets in the basement (I vacuumed the entire house before we left) and the rugs were all askew. The storm doors were standing wide open, and it had rained in the cellar. A quick look around the yard revealed soda cans (the soda appeared to be from the refrigerator in our garage) strewn all over the pool deck and in the pool itself. There was insulation on the floor in the garage under the attic entrance and the hack saw, case, and wood shavingson the steps to the back door. Inside the house, the throw rugs in my room were messed up and my dresser drawers had been shut with items hanging out (something I would never do). Every room in the house had shoe prints (we don't wear shoes in our house) and dirt on the carpets.
The police officer called the crime scene investigator, and he arrived in about an hour. We all had to wait outside while he collected his evidence. He then told us that it appeared to be two or three people (who were wearing gloves), and that they had entered through a basement window. There is no access to the main part of the house from the basement, so they entered the garage from the basement and sawed the facing off the back door to gain entry to the main part of the house.
The gun and the clips of ammunition were the only things that we could find missing at that late hour. The pistol had a combination lock around the trigger, but the police officer explained that a determined person would eventually get if off because there were only 999 possible combinations.
The strangest part was that the burglars had tried to repair the back door facing. They had actually used our nails and glue to try and repair it. I think that is when the light came on for me, I was fairly certain that I knew who had been involved. I figured that it had to be the teenage boys that I had allowed to swim several times this summer. It did not take the police officer very long to come to the same conclusion.
Long story shot, it was the three teenagers. The youngest is 15, and I have always liked him. His mother is a single parent, and I think she does the best that she can. She was devastated that he could be facing several felonies. He gave the police a list of everything that they had taken from our home. They took the pistol, some video games, the gas cans from our garage, the trinket box from my dresser that contained special coins, and ,unfortunately, the can that contained the coins from my husband's childhood. They took the coins ( and the silver certificate dollars) and spent them in various places. UGG !!!!!
After much discussion, we decided not to press charges. The sheriff can still prosecute if he chooses to pursue it. Most of our property has been returned. They did get the lock off the gun and used all of the bullets shooting at cans. My trinket box is still missing, and my husband's coins will never be returned.
I think I will wait awhile before leaving home again. On a brighter note, I have some great pictures from the smokies to post as soon as things settle down here.
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Comments: 51
Make community service ( I bet they have a few senoirs that can use free landscaping for awhile) and school attendance part of the package.
If I had been able to get to them in that first hour, I might have hurt one of them. I felt very violated. I cooled off after some time had passed.
Brain,
They are going to be doing a lot of community service. I am hoping for the best for all three of the boys. I hope this is a wake up call that they heed.
My temper would have controlled me and I would have made them face the most severe of consequences allowed by law.
I'm glad they have a cop in the family. His idea is a good one.
I guess you and I are different when it comes to conseience. My motto is "don't _uck with me, I _uck back." However, I only do that when I need to (invasion, physical attack, abuse), not over silly little things like day-to-day disagreements. I have a few relatives who will jump at the slightest thing. Not me, I find a more creative way to make sure things get dealt with, and fight when I really need to.
I'm EXTREMELY HAPPY to hear that there was a CREATIVE APPROACH for this situation.
As for ruining their lives, if it were my home that was invaded, I'd personally charge, because I did not ruin their lives by charging, they ruined their own lives by invading. I was 15 once, and I never did anything like that, so what would be their excuse?
It is a shame that they had to break into anyone's home for any reason that was not right. But by not pressing charges, it tells them it is ok to do this.
I hope some of the items that are gone, will find their way back to you.
"If he offends again"
If someone offends again, I'd be annoyed with whoever for not keeping him restrained, the last time he offended.
Just glad that most of the items were returned and the pistol wasn't used for something "bad".
That's nuts!
Sorry!
I have to agree with the majority. I elieve you should have pressed charges no matter who the Uncle is. They were minors and if they kept their noses clean for the rest of their growing up years they would not have a record - would they?
I think by being easy on them they might be tempted to do it again - hay we got way with it once.
Anyway, you made your decision and I'm just happy you all are ok and that nothing worse was done to your house.
Best,
Jerry
God bless you girl.
The trip looked like fun though...
I communicate with the 15 year old quite often as he lives just a few houses away. I explained to him that if he wants to play any of the games we own to ask to borrow them like the rest of the kids in the neighborhood do. He has done just that. I know most people do not agree with the way I handled this situation, but I did what I thought was right.
I agree 100% with Brian's comments. Throwing these kids in jail wouldn't accomplish anything for them. Restitution and mandatory school attendance will teach them a far greater lesson than jail time would.
Imaging a 15 year old going to jail for 5 years. He gets out when he turns 20. In my mind he is far more likely to commit a new crime in this scenario than he would be by paying restitution and finishing school.
I am not condoning their actions but if they could learn from this it would be good. Today, things come to easily to our younger generation, they don't seem to have the boundaries we did growing up, but if they could understand it from your postion. If it was their house and their things it may just make them thing next time.
When I was a nurse, it was often helpful to think of my ER as my home (I certainly spent enough time there!!) and when someone was abusing it, I would ask them:' how would you feel if I came into your home and treated it like this?' 9 times out of ten the message would get through....you and your family were brave, cannot wait to see the photos.
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