If you think YOUR kid never would...

then some of you are dead wrong. Last night my husband caught 3 teenagers in the act of vandalizing our property around 1am. They were all no older than 15, and likely local since they seemed to know where they were going as they ran like he$% when my husband busted them. they weren't very smart- he could hear them talking and laughing while they did it.

with luck he scared them enough that their petty vandalizing days are over, or at least they'll think twice before doing it again. he almost caught one of them by the collar, and believe me- a sniveling teen would have been calling home from our living room after we called the police. he may be able to identify them if he sees them around the neighborhood.

their actions weren't harmful- but they demonstrated a CLEAR disrepect for other people's property and just plain old bored troublemaking whims of young teens walking around the neighborhod at 1am. my point is this- of course kids do dumb things- but if we can steer them away from it before it goes from petty vandalism to stealing a car and crashing into a tree, we'll have less tragedies to deal with. what if the next house they decide to screw around with has a home owner with a gun that opens the door?

SOMEONE in the Broadlands is a parent of one of these boys, so if your kid was hanging out with 2 of his buddies last night and may have slipped out of the house without your knowledge, he may need a refresher course on what NOT to do. as a mother myself, I would WELCOME a call from any parent who caught my son in the act of doing something wrong. better he catch the consequences from ME at home than from a stranger with a bat or bullet.



Ciao,

Redon1

 

redon1-
Would you mind posting what street you live on so others in your area can be on the lookout?
Thanks,
Cliff

 

I noticed one day this past week there was a home that had been TP'd on ridgeway drive near the school. I didn't see it in the morning so i'm guessing it happened during the day. That takes some guts to do something like that in broad daylight.

 

I would have called the sheriff's office, just the sight of the police car would put the fear of God into them. Better yet .. call the sheriff, then lean out the window with a digital camera and snap a few off.

I wouldn't have rushed out to confront them, you NEVER know what they may be carrying with them, or what they may do.



Neil Z.
Resident since 1999

 

Or rather they may not know what the Home owner is carrying or what he (I) may do.

 

Well Charles, just make sure they are IN the house before you do anything too seriously. Or at least drag them in if it occurs outside!

 

we did call the sherriff's office, and they sent a car into the neighborhood to patrol. time was of the essence- they would have been done before a sherriff arrived, so in this case it was the right call to chase their little butts out of the yard and try to collar one.

normally i would agree with you Neil, but those kids definitely had more to fear than my husband did! being the Brooklynite that he is, he reads these situations well and rarely takes unneccessary risks. they weren't trying to steal a car or acting in any way that made them appear dangerous- no look out, not being stealthy, not even afraid of being caught! just bored and disrespectful and doing something dumb.

those kids were still trucking down Vestals Gap at full speed long after he scared them out of our yard- i wouldn't be surprised if they never come into our culdesac again! These punks should fear US- not the other way around. <<THAT'S what I will teach my kid when he's that age: you screw with someone else's property, YOU are taking the risk of getting shot, or whupped. THINK before you act- PERIOD. >>

unless these kids have serious authority issues- I have no doubt that my husband's actions, tone of voice, choice of words, etc. made them realize they screwed with the wrong house. Of course if we are vandalized again by the same punks, we'll know what kind of kids we're dealing with, and they will need to be dealt with more severely by the law (and whatever home owner catches them next time!)

no matter where you live you should be aware and vigilant- especially those of us in culdesacs and pipestems where vandals think they aren't likely to be seen.



Ciao,

Redon1

 

what did they actually do to your property? Too bad your husband wasn't able to lay the beat down on them

 

they were ripping down outdoor decor. at first i thought they were from the HOA! lol

Ciao,

Redon1

 

So, you have "outdoor decor" that was not approved by the Modifications Sub-Committee?

 

ouch- no! no way- we would NEVER! lol they were ripping the last of our lights out of our trees and breaking off the branches. for the record we haven't turned the lights ON since Jan. 1, we just hadn't removed them from the tree yet.

is it keying a car or egging the house? no- but it's still ticked us off.

Ciao,

Redon1

 

Naaah, not us. We show up in armored humvees, flanked by armed security guards!!

 

hmmm. so i guess my plan to paint our mailbox hot pink and to have the New York Yankee logo molded into the siding of the house is NOT a good idea...?

Ciao,

Redon1

 

wellll, I guess I could live with the pink but put an Evil Empire logo on it and I am hiring those teens to do a drive-by mailbox bashing!

 

PINK ... oh good grief ... []

Neil Z.
Resident since 1999

 

hmmm- so now these punks have escalated this: they egged our house last night. 3 eggs- what a coincidence. if ANYONE saw 3 teens roaming around last night dark, please talk to them if they're yours or of you know someone with a teenage boy, please bring this up to their parents. let them know what's going on and ask them if they know who's been bragging about it. please email me offline if you have any info.

We are so new here, we have a 7 year old, and NO connection to the teens around here whatsoever. we don't even KNOW any parents with teen boys in this neighborhood! we have done nothing to draw attention to ourselves except my husband busting these punks the last time. if these idiots insist on going further and further until they get caught- they WILL be caught, and they WILL be punished.

this has to stop before it goes to far. it is so stupid and ridiculous... please talk to these teens if you have any connection to them at all- I DO NOT want to see this go any further. we just want to enjoy our lives and home without any unnecessary drama from punks who want to target us.

thanks,


Ciao,

Redon1

 

Shotgun, meet rocksalt.

 

Again, did you call the sheriff's office to report? If you let them know that this is a second incident, they will keep an eye on the area.



Neil Z.
Resident since 1999

 

Neil, absolutely. we want a history on file so we will have no problems when we catch these brats on our property again...
i'm all for trusting the authorities to mete out punishment BUT we have a right and obligation to protect our property and will will be exerising that right without fail.

homer i had NO idea what your post meant, but my husband did- he likes the way you think... lol

Ciao,

Redon1

 

You know, Homer's got an idea there.

That's a shame that the teens are targeting you. Hopefully it will all wrap up soon. We've got teens on our block who are absolutely great!

Here's one idea: try hiring teens in the area to babysit your 7-year old and/or to help maintain your yard (chore work). If you can establish some trust with someone the same age as the eggers, you might be able to defuse any future actions. Especially if you happen to hire one of them.



Robzilla
"Whoa no. There goes Tokyo."