Mom and Dad were robbed last night

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03Shadowbob

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While I was out of town for business, my parents went to my house to have dinner with the wife and kids. When they got home, Mom went to their room to go to the bathroom and then noticed dad's Ruger box on the bed open with nothing inside it. Now my dad doesn't carry so she knew something was going on. She noticed her jewelry box missing and then went and told dad they had been robbed, She called 911 and they told her to get out of the house just in case. Dad grabs the shotgun and searches the house but finds noone. I know I know, he shouldn't have done that but you tell him that :)
Cops came and noone was in house, they dusted for prints and got a great print on the bathroom mirror (obviously someone was looking for drugs). It was a small hand print so they feel it was probably some young punks. 2 other houses had been hit that morning. They grabbed a small safe that had SS cards, birth certificates, marriage certificates, etc. along with $1400 in cash mom had been putting away. They got all her jewelry worth an estimated $20k she had received from dad throughout the years. They got his pistol but not his long guns. That was about it.
Now, there is a group of kids who are always hanging on the street corner and there has been an increase in crime lately in the neighborhood. I am going to go talk to these kids today along with $500 in cash in hand and let them know, if you give me a name and they are arrested the cash is yours no questions asked no names given. Also will give them the cash to turn over the goods. Cash talks so hopefully if they know anything it will work.
Other than that, mom has to go home everyday now after work before dad gets there. She is going to be quite nervous doing this. Getting her a weapons permit is out of the question. I am going to go look at a few dogs today for them including a Dobie, Boxer and Bull Mastiff. She needs one that is big and doesn't shed.
Oh well, this may push them over the edge to get out of South Florida and move to GA with us.
 
I'm so sorry for your parents. Similar happened to me recently, and I know how violated they must feel, let alone the loss.

John
 
Younger Guys

Didn't take the long gun.

These guys were in a hurry, taking only lighter stuff they could carry.

Possibly on foot.

Sounds "high speed, low drag" get in, get out.

Check your local punks.
 
The kids hanging out on the corner probably did it. Play some psychological games with them and tell them a bunch of lies. Tell them the police know who did it, somebody talked. You had a hidden video camera, but the images were vague, and the police are enhancing the images. Give them a knowing look. Tell them the cops need one more witness to make a solid case; you will pay good money for them to come forward. Tell them the cops are running DNA analysis, they know who did it, but are waiting on the results for sure. Arrests are imminent. Then see who splits town. Also put up some reward poster all over the neighborhood with a promise witnesses can remain anonymous. Maybe you wont catch them, but I bet they are going to be nervous for a while.
 
We were also robbed last summer.

We now have a security system, but I also bought 3 Masterlock door wedges. At least if they try to kick the door in again, maybe it will make enough noises so the neighbors will hear. On the other hand, if somebody wants in bad enough, they'll probably succeed.
 
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Good luck and I hope to God you catch them. Only thing is in this liberal society, none of them will do any time....
 
:fire:blood boiling:fire:
really sorry to hear about your parents and the loss.
i had stuff stolen from me. nowhere near the value, but the dirty feeling of being violated sticks on you for a while and leaves a life lasting absolute disgust for theft.

talk to local punk kids. maybe they'll talk... for money that is.

EDIT: where in South FL? I'm in Ft. Lauderdale and I wonder is this crap happend where I live.
 
Armed,
My parents live in Palm Beach Gardens about 50 miles north of you. PBG is a really nice part of Palm Beach County.
I couldn't find the punks today but will be back there tomorrow night when they should be there. I am going to go with the tactics hagar mentioned. Good ideas. I used to be an investgator for the DA so hopefully some old tactics will come back to me except for choking them until they talk :evil: Maybe me and a few of my biker buddies will go for extra intimidation LOL. Just kidding on that.
Well, thanks for the support. It is a bad feeling for them especially all the jewelry that was given to her and handed down to her through the years.
 
When you talk to the kids, see if you can't go with a friend who is bigger (not bigger than you, necessarily, just a big 'tough' looking guy) who has a military or law enforcement demeanor. Someone physically intimidating. Just have him stand there with a game face - like he wants to thrash some heads - and not say anything, looking at each of them in a threatening manner.

At the very least, it'll help dissuade them from thinking of jumping you and taking the $500. One person you can quickly jump; two people are a bit more of a challenge. Additionally, if they were to jump you, it would be your word against theirs', versus your word and your buddy's word against theirs'. I know which odds I'd prefer.

EDIT: I'd also offer additional financial incentive for handing over the goods, personally. "$500 if you talk, a grand if we get all the goods back" or something. Additionally, they may not have gotten the safe open yet, so they may not know entirely what they've got. Then set up a sting with the police when they 'hand them over'.

Start checking at pawn shops, daily! Ask around at the nicer pawn shops to find out which ones are less scrupulous, too, and go looking there for 'something special, on a low budget'.
 
I would let the police detectives work on the case first. The police may already have an informant in that group of people. Going to the suspects and their friends with a B.S. story may very well blow up in your face. I would make some fliers and pass them out with the reward information. Finger prints are only good if you have a suspect. Talk with neighbors and people who may have seen something.
 
I think we should limit our commentary to prevention of the burglary. Suggestions of confronting suspects could just start a confrontation that could lead to another thread.

Jeff
 
Spend some of that money on getting your parents a bigger safe or a gunsafe.

I'll bet a $300 to $400 sentry gunsafe (RSC) bolted to studs would have stppeb them...its good for long guns and Mom's jewelery.

Although for $20k jewelery I'd buy something just for that.
 
Sorry to hear about the burglary. Check the local pawnshops, yes; but stay out of the investigation. I understand the impulse: after my youngest son was assaulted a year ago, I drove the neighborhoods around here looking for the truck that had been used. Don't know what I'd have done if I'd found it :banghead: but there was that sense of needing to do something.

In this case, looking at the pawnshops is the best thing for you to do.

I'm curious: why is a concealed carry permit out of the question?

Springmom
 
Pawn shops.

Local shops will be a good starting point, but they may have ditched it off to another punk for a quick high. The jewelry will wind up in pawn shops, there's no market for it on the street. Unless, of course, the local scum didn't do it. In this case, the gun and jewelry are in another state by now.

Confronting the punks might not be the smartest thing to do, but I can understand the urge.
 
. . . they dusted for prints and got a great print on the bathroom mirror (obviously someone was looking for drugs).
Click to expand...
It would be really unfortunate if someone had what looked like drugs, but actually was something like rat poison.
 
I would not confront any kids on the corner. You dont want to interfere with the police. There is a chance it was them but there is a chance it wasnt. You could get into trouble with the law if you do this. No need to play detective/vigilante. Let the police do it.
 
Chances of the police solving this crime are about nil if they don't already know who did it.

I doubt you are going to get anything back, no matter what kind of reward you offer. The jewelry is probably already gone.

If you knew for sure who did it, there might be some avenues to pursue, even if the authorities give up. But, chances are that the loot is already gone.
 
Henry, there's actually a prescription blood thinner called Cumidin (sp?) that, as I understand it, is rat poison so...

Do they know how the home was broken into (door unlocked, window open, broke window etc...)?

When I was stationed in FL my wife and I loved the house we rented but I hated the front door because in addition to being the standard flimsy door it also had a very large window pane in it that was big enough to walk through never mind smashing it & unlocking the door.
 
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