New responsibility to neighborhood...

[Reed9MM]

Around 11:30 am today, a suspicious looking guy was walking down the road. He was around 5'10 to 6'0 tall blue eyes and very scruffy , kind of drawn up face with brown hair. Had a slim build. Was wearing a pinkish red ball cap, red t shirt and jeans.
He was looking in the ditches, and stopping and looking into the woods across the street. I was just leaving to go to wally world when I saw him . *He looked me right in the eye as I pulled out of my road. He walked a little further up the road and stopped at the driveway across the street.*
The neighbor who lives there has a long paved drive , and you can't see his house. I had never seen this guy before and thought it was just kinda weird. I passed by and saw a neighbor who live just up from me and said hello. He was looking in the guys direction, so I know he saw him too.*
As I neared the end of our road something told me to turn around. So I did.. When I came around the curve the guy was still right around the same area he was at before. I pulled into my driveway and got out. Pre tending to look at my garden , I was also talking to my brother telling him about this guy. I was keeping an eye on him as I was talking. The guy walked further down the road out of sight.*
My wife and kids were in the house , the main reasons I came back! *My kids are dog sitting this weekend for some neighbors further down the road where this guy was headed. I know they are not home so I get back in my van and drive down that way. The guy is no where to be seen.*
There is woods all along the road connecting to the neighbors house that the kids are tending to the dogs. I drove by their house and all looked clear. I think the guy went back into the woods.... On the way back out I saw the neighbor at the end of the street on the cul de sac. I pulled into his driveway and tell him what was going on. He proceeds to tell me that the house *two places down from me in the direction this guy was headed was broken into the other night! While the 20 something kid was there with his mother asleep!! Someone stole their car keys , a cheap cell phone, and the kids OxyContin pills he just got from a knee operation. * Geeze!! This was news to me!!! *I explained to the end of the road neighbor all of the details and told him to keep an eye out. I know he will and does, he seems to know a lot about all the neighbors.. Lol . I leave his driveway and start back to my house.
Any how the guy right across from me with the paved drive is coming down the road , I flash *my lights at him and stop him to give notice. *He tells me that they found an empty pill bottle with the neighbors name on it just yesterday in the woods by his house.! An empty OxyContin bottle...
I gave him the guys description and just made him aware that some strange dude is out and about in the hood.*
The whole time this is going on I had already had my .38 Smith on my side. So my condition was at orange or almost anyhow. The neighbor said he was gonna put his stuff away and look around back in the woods. He carries too so I just told him to please be careful and maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Just keep an eye out....*
So I cross the street and pull back into my driveway. I can't believe my quiet little hood of almost 20 years is going thru this. I *went over to the neighbors who got broken into and talked to the kid, told him what I had just seen , and he gave me some details about the break in. *I told him he could borrow a shot gun if he wanted. He said that his Mom had always been against guns in the house , but after Wednesday night *they are getting a gun this weekend.
After talking to a couple of other neighbors , I find out there have been two other break ins in the last few months!! WTH???? One has had nothing but liquor stolen and the other had prescription drugs stolen.*
Ok so now I am kinda miffed because no one has said anything about this to us!! All of us neighbors don't see eye to eye , but I will be damned if I am gonna stand by and let someone break into a house even if I don't care for them or not! I made as many neighbors as I could know what went down . I get my kids and tell them that we need to tend to the dogs now before I go to Wal mart . There is no way that they are going by themselves at this point.*
We pile in the van and head down the street to let the dogs out. I was definately at condition orange as we got out of the van. I mad sure the kids got into the house and did a little patrol. I had my shirt over my pistol, so I pulled it up just in case I needed quick access. My heart was beating kinda fast as I slowly walked the perimeter of the property. I noticed a piece of lattice under their deck was out of place so I cautiously looked under the deck. All clear. Checked the crawl space under the house too because the access door was just kind of leaning there. All clear. This was just crazy I thought to my self. It was really weird thinking that this guy could be back in the woods .
Well I cleared the perimeter of the property just as the kids were coming out . We drove back up the street to our house *not seeing the guy any more. *We really needed stuff from the store , wife didn't want to go and kids didn't either. *So I left reluctantly. Made sure the house was locked down, and that our dog was out side. She a black lab and sweet as anything , but will let us know if someone comes around she doesn't know!*
I raced to the store , got what we needed, and hit the sporting goods section for some extra .38 HP , and some #1 buck shot.
I just am glad that this didn't turn into any thing. Still kinda pissed that no one has said anything about this, and definately pissed that I have this to worry about now...*
Just wanted to rant and get this off my chest. My youngest is 10 and he's freaked out about this. Really sucks , guess that is the way things are going down now:-(
I know that if I hear anything happening in the middle of the night, or if my dog starts barking , *or God forbid someone is in my house...
I really would *shoot first and then ask questions later!!
If someone is poking around my property at night , they have no right to be there. I will defend my family and property!!!!*

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[boutaswell]

Just make sure you watch you 6 when you are out and scouting about. You never know from where vermin will strike if they think they have the advantage. It has only been break-ins so far but you never know when it may escalate. OxyContin is not a cheap thing to be hooked on. He's out scouting during the day, who's home and when and who's not and when. Course, more visible vigilance may scare him off also.

[OneAz2Risk]

I was at our swimming pool the other day and noticed a guy in his car just sitting there. I'm a retired cop so the Sheep Dog still hasn't gone off duty all he way. I decided that if he was a wrong guy an adult staring at him may make him nervous and bug out. Sure enough he pulled out and drove around the lot and parked further out. I gave the registration to the 20 year old lifeguard figuring he would call the village police (my suggestion) but he dicked around long enough for the guy to leave. It's nice to know other people are vigilant in their neighborhood.

[Reed9MM]

Just make sure you watch you 6 when you are out and scouting about. You never know from where vermin will strike if they think they have the advantage. It has only been break-ins so far but you never know when it may escalate. OxyContin is not a cheap thing to be hooked on. He's out scouting during the day, who's home and when and who's not and when. Course, more visible vigilance may scare him off also.

Yea the kid that got broken into , he said the cops told him the street value for one
OxyContin pill is like $15.00!! Crazy times...

[Reed9MM]

I was at our swimming pool the other day and noticed a guy in his car just sitting there. I'm a retired cop so the Sheep Dog still hasn't gone off duty all he way. I decided that if he was a wrong guy an adult staring at him may make him nervous and bug out. Sure enough he pulled out and drove around the lot and parked further out. I gave the registration to the 20 year old lifeguard figuring he would call the village police (my suggestion) but he dicked around long enough for the guy to leave. It's nice to know other people are vigilant in their neighborhood.

It stinks knowing that people will kind of just turn cheek to some things.(Lifeguard)
Bad guys now a days are very brazen. I agree that if it's someone up to no good if they know
they are being watched will usually leave

[21bubba]

To the O.P. I'm sure you're glad that you just got your carry permit.

[JJVP]

I did not see where you called the cops. You did call the cops to report the guy, right?

[Spirit51]

Street value of prescription drugs is insane. I know people who take pain meds that junkies would love to get. If they are going to be gone long they put a couple of pills in their purse. Knowing the police get rough when the pills are not in a bottle...they have taken to carrying around the prescription sheets from the Pharmacy in their wallet. Like they said...it would be insane to carry the entire bottle around. Some people would kill for them.

[Reed9MM]

To the O.P. I'm sure you're glad that you just got your carry permit.

Yes!!!!

[Reed9MM]

I did not see where you called the cops. You did call the cops to report the guy, right?

H::l yes!!! Had to!! I see I left that out, but yes I called the sheriff on the way to Wally world.

[Reed9MM]

H::l yes!!! Had to!! I see I left that out, but yes I called the sheriff on the way to Wally world.

I hope that they send a deputy down here to keep an eye out more often.

[21bubba]

They make it too easy sometimes...

[Chad Rogers]

I find going to the county police website every day and reading about the crimes committed the day before (except on weekends) to be very informative about what's going on in the neighborhood.

[W9HDG]

I have taken to doing this as well. Kinda gives you an idea just how "safe" or "unsafe" your neighborhood is.

[Inspector71]

I'm glad I don't live in a neighborhood. I've got enough to keep me busy without having to worry about everyone else's stuff. Country living - It's not for everyone