The vandal that just won't stop!

[Cindylou]

Ok, so we thought we were finally OVER the slashing of the tires because it hadn't happened since November, a whopping 3 months........but nooooooo, it happened for the 3rd time on Thursday night!!! We are absolutely sick. We called the cops right away and the officer that arrived spelled it out in no uncertain terms, turning to my hubby and saying, "this isn't about the truck. This is about YOU." He wanted hubby to think back to anyone or anytime he might have pissed someone off. Hubby can't recall any incident except 1, not long after we moved in: a nasty exchange w/ a landscape worker whose truck was blocking the alley (against the law). They had a few words with each other which I won't repeat, but then would this guy WAIT 6 months until Halloween, to slash his tires for the first time? I don't know. Seems unlikely. The police officer said it could also be some random guy that hubby may have cut off in traffic, the fella followed hubby home, and the guy is nuts and has been slashing his tires ever since. The cop said there are a lot of angry men out there who are just wacko and hold grudges. Again, I have no clue. The cop wants us to install yet another alarm, a hidden one, because he really wants to catch this guy now! Finally they are showing more interest, the 3rd time around. So that means spending more money on yet another alarm system. We have someone coming to the house at 11 am today for a consult. We clearly cannot keep living like this, buying tires after tires after tires. To add insult to injury, I took a horrific fall outside on the concrete sidewalk on Saturday and broke the fall with my chest and left hand. The pain has been just awful. It feels like I broke a rib and my hand but the x-rays aren't showing anything. Of course, it could be the initial fractures aren't showing up so soon after the fall. Or maybe they are just badly bruised and continuing to hurt like hell. It almost feels like I dislocated a rib, if that is possible. I can feel it moving, if I turn a certain way, along with a lot of pain. I haven't slept well the past few days, but am gonna try and take a nap in a few minutes here. We are so bummed about the tire slashing. It's just sickening. CL

[Gilbert P]

Hi CL

I would be very pissed off, so sorry this is happening to you guys.

I have a story also this past friday after working a locals night ski race, My wife loaded the ski gear in the truck, and left the truck unlocked? She then drove home with my son in her car. I was still on the hill tearing down the race, after it was over went to the truck and it was GONE I then called up the wife "were did you park my truck" She did not move it. Stolen with all my checks, credit cards, ski gear etc, I was so mad! Called the cops My wife came to pick me up very upset, We put some of my ski stuff in the car and started to drive home very concerned about the stolen truck, credit cards, our sons ski gear etc, As we were driving down the road there it was my truck about 250 yards down the road, nothing was missing, except about a quarter tank of gas,Stress is not what I needed but it turned out O.K. Still a mystery? Was it a practicial joke? A joy ride? will probaly never know.

Gil

[KBear]

Sorry CL, that definitely sounds like something personal, seeing as how it's the 3rd time and they are just targeting you. People are idiots and get upset over such small crap, so no telling. Where I live, to leave the neighborhood is damn near impossible because of traffic, so you have to just pull out and haul rear. Well one day I did this, did not cut anyone off, had plenty of space, yet the person behind me obviously felt they had been wronged. They followed me all the way to my daughter's preschool, which is a church, and once they realized I was going in they left. It was like wow, what were you gonna do? Seriously, I think we need to put Valium in the public water supply sometime .

Oh that fall sounds awful. When my dog ran into Emma a couple of years ago (long story short, 100 lb. dog ran full speed out of the house to 'greet' guests and Emma was in the way, he plowed into her arm/wrist), they never found a break in her arm, but they told me a lot of times the sprains are more painful. Her wrist was super swollen right away and after a day she still was guarding it, even in the sling the ER gave us. I took her to an ortho and they offered to cast it for 3 weeks, then re x-ray to see if there was a break and also to protect it and allow her to go to school and not be so guarding of it. A few days before we were to go back for her follow up, the cast literally slid off of her arm in the bath tub (they make this waterproof lining where you can fully immerse the cast in water). She had been that swollen and it took that long for it to go down. Follow up x-rays showed no sign of a break, so they said it was probably just a really bad sprain. I wonder if you are dealing with the same thing? I hope it gets better soon. I've never injured my ribs, but I hear it is super painful. Joe hurt his ribs a few months ago and he was in mega pain, he had lasting pain for a while too (they also never found a break with him either).

Gil- That's crazy... I'm sure you felt like you had lost your mind looking for it and then finding it. Glad that it was just a 'joy ride' and nothing damaged/ stolen.

[Gilbert P]

Hey CL

My neighbor garage door was getting painted by vandals and he installed a survalance camera with the police dept, Yes they caught the little B@$*@#%

Something you may try.

Gil

[lakeman]

Cindylou
Did you find out who the coward is cutting up your tires?
A camera would be a good idea.
Ron

[KanRunMo]

Lights, cameras, sirens. All these help scare away criminals. Motion lights help so much for us. We do put our cars in the garage every night but that may not be possible for you. We also have a big dog that has a ferocious bark and scares people even though he is inside - and would lick them to death.

[Cindylou]

Thank-you guys for all the constructive ideas. Well, we have the dog. Check. (ferocious bark, but golden retriever hidden behind 4 walls, but at least a deterrent) We have the hidden camera set up for the driveway (detached garage/w alley), but the last time it happened we had the truck parked out front (per the cop's suggestion, after the first 2 slashing's that happened in our driveway) of the house, under the street light. Bold bastards. But, the best news is: my husband spent the past 3 days clearing every single thing out of the garage (we put in storage facility temporarily), took down a large shelf in back of garage that was eating up space, and voila......his pick-up fits in the garage, finally!!! So, hopefully this will put an end to the vandalism. If they start doing something else, now that the truck is safely secured, well.....we'll cross that bridge if need be. I pray this is the end of it. Never in all my years, have I or we ever experienced such a rash of personal vandalism. It's just been a nightmare. Hopefully, this is the end of it. (It's terrible, because I look on everyone as a suspect now, and hate to feel so distrusting of people, you know?)

Thanks again for all the encouragement. CL (oh, we have motion lights too....which we had installed after the first tire slashing in the driveway, and they still slashed them the 2nd time, w/the motion lights in place!)