Some weirdo tried a break in on my Mom's...or maybe he was lost

[Warners]

Lots of good suggestions here. As previously mentioned a GOOD dog (or two) is probably their best bet. Even when the human inhabitants aren't aware, a dog WILL be. And if you've never been bitten by a good dog, you couldn't possibly understand how that can change your mind in a hurry. I jumped in to break up a dog fight in my house, as I had on more than one occasion (got rid of one of the dogs) and stuck my hand where it didn't belong (actually fell over the pile of shoes that's inevitably by our front door) and I can tell you, one good bite on the hand will change most people's minds in a hurry. Most would-be robbers would rather not deal with that mess and will generally pick a softer target.

Warner

 

[Hoppes Love Potion]

I probably would not have pressed charges, either.

 

[Creature]

I probably would not have pressed charges, either.

Okay...why not?

 

[allaroundhunter]

I probably would not have pressed charges, either.

And that just means that you also don't understand that actions have consequences. Without teaching this to criminals, they will get more brave with their crimes. Continue to give them a free ride, but when they come back for even more font expect them to be nicer to you for it.

 

[Impureclient]

Forgot to add, they have two dogs. One regular sized and another slightly larger long hair....killer Chihuahuas.
No way they are getting another more. Their larger one ran away from my dog when mine was a puppy. They actually
do a good job of warning when somebody is in the yard though as most small dogs do.

 

[Warners]

Forgot to add, they have two dogs. One regular sized and another slightly larger long hair....killer Chihuahuas.
No way they are getting another more. Their larger one ran away from my dog when mine was a puppy. They actually
do a good job of warning when somebody is in the yard though as most small dogs do.

Yep, ANY alert dog will warn you that something is not right. Barking dogs certainly ruin the element of surprise for the "bad guy". If you are equipped to take over from that point, then that's all you need. Without the means, or will, to defend yourself from that point forward, you may be better off with a dog or dogs that ARE willing to take it to the next level.

Warner

 

[Hoppes Love Potion]

I would not press charges because there was little or no property damage done, and a trespassing charge carries little weight.

I recognize that intervention for bad behavior in young people can set them back on the right path. I also understand that, if all the stupid stuff I did in my younger years was fully prosecuted, I would have had a much different life.

As it turned out, ALMOST getting caught was enough to scare me straight. Jail might have accomplished the same thing, but I kind of doubt it. More likely it would have taught me an "us vs them" mentality, "us" being the criminals.

 

[Hanzo581]

How much paperwork and time is involved in pressing charges? What's the realistic sentence for trespassing (if it even went that far)?

Those are the questions I'd ask before wasting time pressing charges.

 

[Creature]

Hanzo581 wrote:

What's the realistic sentence for trespassing (if it even went that far)?

Pressing charges creates a paper trail. And paper trails, especially to law enforcement and the judicial system, are important.


Hoppes Love Potion wrote:

As it turned out, ALMOST getting caught was enough to scare me straight.

And yours is the less common outcome to the story. I have to ask: did your behavior include the same kind of antics as described by the OP? Because the behavior described is very unusual and, in my opinion, easily construed as threatening. Even for an unruly teenager.

 

[Potatohead]

Wow, that's a scary one! If that didn't convince them I don't know what would. Might offer to take them shooting, maybe you have something they'd feel comfortable with.

Dont overlook this point. I wasn't a "gun guy" at all. Was actually nervous and didn't want to be around them. Until I shot my sister n laws rifle about a year ago. Been hooked ever since

 

[Fryerpower]

Dear moderators,

If you delete someone's post please send them a note as to WHY you deleted it. I'm confused as to why being able to spray pepper spray through the door is a problem, is somehow against THR rules, or is not a valid suggestion. It may not help get the people described in the OP to accept guns, but neither does the suggestion to get a dog.

Jim

 

[Fred Fuller]

Let's see. That would have been me.

Your post said:

Spray nozzle with a check valve in the doors so you can spray it through the door at the idiot pounding/trying to get in.

And that's ALL it said. I had no clue what you meant, you didn't say a word about spraying pepper spray, the post didn't make any sense to me and that's why I deleted it.

Meanwhile, if you'll go look in the library of sticky threads at the top of the main page of ST&T (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=571476), you'll find a thread titled "What happened to my post?" (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=582651). Giving that one a read might be helpful.

 

[conw]

Spray nozzle with a check valve in the doors so you can spray it through the door at the idiot pounding/trying to get in.

Damn, that is really confusing.

I also think it would be extremely strange if someone actually did this now that I (think I) know what he meant.

 

[Fryerpower]

Let's see. That would have been me.

Your post said:

Spray nozzle with a check valve in the doors so you can spray it through the door at the idiot pounding/trying to get in.

And that's ALL it said. I had no clue what you meant, you didn't say a word about spraying pepper spray, the post didn't make any sense to me and that's why I deleted it.

Meanwhile, if you'll go look in the library of sticky threads at the top of the main page of ST&T (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=571476), you'll find a thread titled "What happened to my post?" (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=582651). Giving that one a read might be helpful.

Man, I have to start getting some better sleep! What time of night did I post that? Next time send me a message with a big ? or a ***? in it. I think I rewrote the sentence a couple of times and somewhere along the way dropped the "pepper spray" part.

Looks like I need to work on my proof reading skills! I missed a key word and forgot to capitalize the start of a sentence in another thread. Proof reading...it does a body good.

Thanks for the note,

Jim

 

[Fryerpower]

Damn, that is really confusing.

I also think it would be extremely strange if someone actually did this now that I (think I) know what he meant.

It beats standing behind a door with a crowbar and it a lot better advice than to fire your shotgun through the door!

Jim

 

[Phaedrus/69]

Not much you can do for folks that are old and set in their ways (any age, of course). I'm a very big proponent of hardening one's home! A firearm is the last line of defense- locks and lighting are the first. They were wise to have a good camera system in place. That's something I'd like to do, too. Solid doors and good locks, with the hinges and strike plates secured thru the door jambs well into the frame, will help immensely.