mother's house burglarized

[another okie]

My mother came home from church Sunday to find two men carrying stuff out of her house. My wife and I had been by the house just an hour earlier, so they weren't in there long, but they had been through every drawer. They didn't get much, and were arrested Friday in the act of a home invasion, and after cashing one her checks at a Wal-Mart. By the way, I had my CCW with me with the sheriff arrived, and I told them that "I have a CCW permit and I have it with me." They were cool about it and thanked me for telling them.

She drove up behind their car and got out, so we've had a little discussion about just driving off and using the cell phone if that ever happens again.

Anyway, tonight the alarm company called me and said the alarm was going off. My mother was sleeping here at my house, just across the road. So here's the tactical question. The response time of the sheriff is typically about thirty minutes unless there is a serious accident or something going on. So I walked up to the end of my driveway (about 100 yards) so I could see her house to see if there was a burglar's car there. There wasn't, so I returned to my house, relocked all the doors and watched for the sheriff. It turned out a door had blown open in the wind. (I really do live in Oklahoma.)

Was I wrong to even walk up there? I wouldn't have interefered if there had been a burglar there, and I would not have been visible to a burglar if he had been there. (The end of my driveway is dark and flanked by trees.)

 

[ceetee]

In my opinion, a reasonable investigation can be a good thing. What if you walked up there to find several guys armed with rifles and shotguns that were all hacked off about their two friends getting busted? Don't you think your responding deputy would like to know that? As long as you're not trying to clear the house by yourself, and can approach unobserved, you did right.

 

[JCF]

I guess it boils down to whether or not there was purpose in your going out there. If there wasn't, then you probably shouldn't have. If there was reasonable opportunity for you to spot a vehicle tag, etc while REALLY not exposing yourself, then I think you were probably justified in going.