[Betty]

I moved into this townhouse in February. Since then, I've been receiving the previous tenant's mail. No big deal - he may have forgotten to tell everybody where to forward his mail to.

And then I received his bills, bills and more bills. And then I got a letter from a lawyer's office. All his mail gets sent back in the Out box, and sometimes I would even write, "Does Not Live Here Anymore." I believe the post office has fixed it now, but today I find a hot pink notice from the Davidson County Sheriff's Office, Civil Warrant Division. :grumpy: I call the number on the card and kindly tell the Deputy Sheriff that he hasn't lived here since February. I said I'll ask the Management people if he left any other info like a workplace he may be found at. They didn't have extra info on him.

I taped a Post-It on my door stating that the guy doesn't live here anymore, just in case somebody else shows up looking for him. It's embarassing having a sheriff tape a warrant on my door. It also makes me wonder who else is going to show up, and what kind of person the previous tenant was.

And that can be a scary thing. Maybe this guy just has a bunch of outstanding parking tickets, or maybe it's something worse. How about if you rented or bought a place that used to belong to a notorious felon, like a drug dealer, and have strangers pulling up in your driveway late at night? Competition and unhappy customers driving by? Bail bondsmen or the local SWAT team pounding in your door?

Mistaken identity and wrong addresses can be a scary thing, and opens the door to all sorts of scenarios.

 

[gregarat]

At least its not a "no knock" warrant.

Think of the mess it would be if you gets woke up out of bed!!!
Id hate to be the one who had to explain why 1/2 of there SWAT team is taken out!!
"ummm.... ya see officer Betty can be real grumpy if she gets woke up"

 

[Euclidean]

I haven't had it that bad, but at my previous residence in ghetto central I used to get correspondence from some agency looking for back child support payments and was constantly getting past due notices and things from the local courthouse and sheriff's office that I of course never opened.

 

[SARR001]

At this point, publicdata.com might be of help. You can point the LEOs elsewhere. Not your job, but might lessen the headaches in the long run.

 

[Rob72]

You can point the LEOs elsewhere. Not your job, but might lessen the headaches in the long run.

Yeah, a 3 round burst from an MP-5, from a Tac-guy with a woodie, can be a bad headache....... :grumpy:

It's been a few years since I lived in Murfreesboro, so the Nash DA may be a totally different person, but the office used to be fairly helpful and accomodating. If you give them a call, with the guy's info, and give the property mgr's number (to verify you just moved in), they may be able to "clear the air" a bit more quickly.

 

[rstickle]

This wasn't a very good move for you, was it?

 

[rocky]

well, that sucks. Watch your back and maybe see about alarm systems?

 

[Scott]

BTDT.

Previous tenant was a drug dealer. We had been there less than a week when a Captain and Lt from the PD showed up looking for him. We pointed them to the landlord and that was that. Fortunately he wasn't a big enough drug dealer for a no knock warrant. That would not have been good.

-Scott-

 

[QKShooter]

Betty

Notice any strong rotting meat smells coming up from under your floor boards? :wink:

Maybe the previous tenant is still there?

 

[P95Carry]

More frustrations for Betty - geez - it'll be one big relief to vacate that place by sound of it!

Looks like you have done most of what you can do but - sure as heck try all you can to keep folks in the picture - HE DOES NOT LIVE HERE ANY MORE!!!

Maybe in light of events - contact your local SO and tell them - in case anything comes along that might get them calling - for him!

 

[BlueLion]

Betty, that can be very scary. Just heard a stat on the news where they said that a large portion of people are hurt due to mistaken identity. Be safe.

 

[Betty]

Noisy neighbor, heating & cooling leaking all over my unit and the neighbor's, people driving by with loud thumping stereos, and dealing with the previous tenant's bills and messes...I'll be happy to get out of here. Mrshonts to the rescue! :banana:

On the other hand, I'm sure the current tenant at my old place receives my Cheaper Than Dirt and US Cavalry catalogs. :lol:

Speaking of my previous place and thinking about the current tenants, I've always wondered if the burglars who tried to break into my safe would return with reinforcements and would wait for me to be there so I could be forced to open it up for them. A refridgerator sized safe is a tempting target.

 

[CombatEffective]

Warrants are public record; so, you should be able to get a copy of it if you want to, but it may take some demanding on your part.

I had a deputy show up at my old apartment once looking for a former resident. He showed me his badge and I showed him mine.

 

[P95Carry]

He showed me his badge and I showed him mine.

Like that Lee - kinda made me want to have been a fly on the wall :biggrin:

 

[LenS]

My advice is to contact your local PD and/or SO, any courts issuing paper on him that gets delivered to you, and perhaps the DA's office to put on record that he's no longer at your address. Give them your landlord's name/number so that they can verify your info.

Depending on what the guy was into, your problem can range from discomfort/inconvenience up to (the very unlikely) no-knock warrant that can leave innocent people dead (happened here in Boston some years ago with a dead clergyman . . . and that was a "wrong address" warrant).

I obtained a PO Box in a Boston suburb many years ago, then started getting bills, letters to some prior box-holder (a foreign name). Finally got a court summons for him. Each time I went over to the Postal workers and put "no longer at this address" on each one. One day I'm in a Boston subway transit station and look up at a sign with this guy's name/picture on it as one of the most wanted "deadbeat dads" in the state!!

I am a Constable serving legal papers and arresting deadbeat dads, but I always go "the extra mile" to try to verify the name/address first. Not all of us go to these lengths, so being pro-active on your part can certainly help avoid problems.

 

[Rob72]

This wasn't a very good move for you, was it?

:biggrin: :biggrin: Bad move, but not for those reasons! I had family working in Parole/Probation, and I (briefly) worked for TennDOC. :wink:

 

[QKShooter]

Oh That's Right ~ I Remember

You also had leaking water that rusted a couple of your long guns to the carpet.
The sooner you exit that place...the better.
Your Knight In Shining Armor will be rescuing you soon.

 

[Tactician]

Just trying to live a simple peaceful life can sure get complicated sometimes!

Hope things work out real well soon!

 

[LPguy]

Betty,

I had something similar happen to me. All I had to do was bring the other persons mail to the post office one time and they had me fill out some sort of forwarding address form that flagged all the old owners stuff.

Talk to your postal carrier if you can and he may be able to tell you the name of the form. It was too long ago for me to remember.

good luck,

Mike