Should I prosecute my neighbor???

jagavahn · Post by **jagavahn** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 3:45 pm

Over the past month or so I've had lots of problems with packages not showing up. I've been putting blame on the USPS, but as it turns out, it was my neighbors son who was stealing the packages. I witnessed him stealing one and when confronted he admitted to stealing several othes. He also had several other boxes in his room.

After a brief moment of shock when I explained the value of the minis, they have begged me not to report it to the authorities. Normally, I wouldn't hesitate to comply with that request, but this is the same neighbor who has parked a car in my garage wall twice due to his drunken mechanics.

At this point, I feel that if I do anything else but report the kid(17) I'll have to put up with crap from the family for as long as we are neighbors.

What do you guys think?

ancientsociety · Post by **ancientsociety** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 3:56 pm

Hmmm, I think you should contact the police, Jaga.

I don't think I'd recommend it if he were younger than 15 or so but @ 17, he should know better. Not only that, if you don't nip this now, who knows what other types of criminal behavoir this kid could exhibit in the future. This behavoir doesn't exist in a vacuum and, if he's caught and not punished (or at least warned), he may feel he can get away with larger crimes. It also sounds like he has a bad family life, which while it certainly isn't his fault, it isn't helping him to decide right from wrong.

Did you get all your missing stuff back from him? If you haven't then that's an even better reason to call the police.

kturock · Post by **kturock** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 4:07 pm

call the postal inspectors and report it to them. the threat of 5 years in a federal prison and $5000 fine for each package, should scare the crap outta the little bugger. odds are he's stolen more than that and this is just the tip of the iceberg. also call the local cops AFTER you call the inspectors.

kturock · Post by **kturock** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 4:08 pm

doh double post.

MEDEVL · Post by **MEDEVL** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 4:35 pm

Unfortunately at this point it's a he said she said kind of thing. It would have been best IMHO if you'd called the police when ypu saw him take the last one so THEY could find the other boxes in his room. It's still worth doing, but be aware it might be hard to get any resolution. Hopefully since he know's he's been caught it'll stop. It might be worth going door to door olong your street to see if anybody else has had similar problems. It looks a lot better if 5 people go to the cops with the same complaint. Good luck (If I were in charge of the world you could just bring him to me and let me shoot him then it's all settled).

jagavahn · Post by **jagavahn** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 4:39 pm

I neglected to add, I have him on video stealing the package and I also have the confrotation with his parents and the search of his room recorded too.

titan136 · Post by **titan136** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 4:53 pm

Normally I'd say "sure go prosecute the little jerk!" but in times like this I'd say just let it go. Sure it will teach him a lesson. But he already knows its wrong. Just like his father knows its wrong to drink and drive and bash in someone's garage door.

But once its all said and done, you're the one that still has to live next to them. Hell hath no fury like a vengeful neighbour...i mean for god's sake they know where you live.

Try to settle this between yourselves. Have a talk about the garage doors and the theft and have them try to suggest a way of making it up to you. If something really can't be agreed upon, go to the police as a last resort.

Hope that helps.

kturock · Post by **kturock** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:04 pm

titan136 wrote:Normally I'd say "sure go prosecute the little jerk!" but in times like this I'd say just let it go. Sure it will teach him a lesson. But he already knows its wrong. Just like his father knows its wrong to drink and drive and bash in someone's garage door.

But once its all said and done, you're the one that still has to live next to them. Hell hath no fury like a vengeful neighbour...i mean for god's sake they know where you live.

Try to settle this between yourselves. Have a talk about the garage doors and the theft and have them try to suggest a way of making it up to you. If something really can't be agreed upon, go to the police as a last resort.

Hope that helps.

this can be the best or the worst response; depednign on the kid and his parents.

how well do you know him and them; especailly him.
if he's really 'a good kid' then it'll be a scare and he'll stop.

if he's not, and this is the sign of other problems, then he will continue the behavior.

still let the authorities decide. you can always drop the charges and refuse to prosecute.

if the family is already trouble, now they feel they have you and will continue the behavior and actions themselves.

bad parents help create bad kids. they already have some poor marks against them for not monitoring him and his actions.

he didn't steal your newspaper.. he commited SEVERAL FELONIES.
just like stealing your car, a couple times. he just hasn't hurt anyone, yet.
that you know of.

MEDEVL · Post by **MEDEVL** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 8:49 pm

Yeah, that's a good point. How much stuff is he doing wrong that you don't know about. You might find out by going to the police that he's (or the family's) already on the radar. I'm the vengeful sort (I once drove an hour and a half to a guys house to ask where my stuff was!!) so I'd go to the cops. If they want to be bad neighbors then report anything they do too. If they don't own the house report them to the landlord as well. If you have it all on tape it's pretty damning evidence.

WillFightForFood · Post by **WillFightForFood** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 9:04 pm

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jagavahn · Post by **jagavahn** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 9:16 pm

My neighbors are scum, and the kid is likely to continue to act in accordance with how he was raised. I don't really want to be the one responsible for sending the kid away(I'm sure he'll do that on his own-soon). I was able to recover almost everything, the stuff he destroyed I was offered reimbursement for and I have been offered a bit extra as restitution.

My only concern is that this will be the third major thing the family has done wrong(with reagrds to me) and until something more happens I don't think they be any more cautious or considerate. Any suggestions on how I can not report the kid and still get it across to them that I am not willing to take any more crap from them?

kturock · Post by **kturock** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 9:25 pm

jagavahn wrote:My neighbors are scum, and the kid is likely to continue to act in accordance with how he was raised. I don't really want to be the one responsible for sending the kid away(I'm sure he'll do that on his own-soon). I was able to recover almost everything, the stuff he destroyed I was offered reimbursement for and I have been offered a bit extra as restitution.

My only concern is that this will be the third major thing the family has done wrong(with reagrds to me) and until something more happens I don't think they be any more cautious or considerate. Any suggestions on how I can not report the kid and still get it across to them that I am not willing to take any more crap from them?

nothing will work. there is only 1 thing. report them. they obviously have shown that they can't be trusted. they have the upper hand and are bullying you. 'we won't pick on you no more, if you don't tell on us.'

this is the 3rd strike. what will it take. no, you probably won't 'turn him around', nothing will. unless he decides to. you being the 'nice guy' next won't do squat. it'll more just reinforce the bad behavior. he got away with it before and can and will again. if you wait to long to file a statement, then you can't even use it if/when something else occurs.

file statements with the postal inspectors and the police. that'll have a record of the incidents. you don't have to press charges. if something else happens, you have proof that it wasn't a 1 time thing. if nothing else happens, then you've resolved your problem and covered youself.

ekister · Post by **ekister** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 11:03 pm

Do anything and everything you can to get the scumbags out, at whatever cost. Its too bad that the world has come to this. As high school teacher in a very urban school district, I see behavior every day that would turn my grandfather (a former teacher and principal) turn over in his grave. The general public has to do everything they can to clamp down on the problems in our country with drugs, crime, stupidity. Please go to the police, turn over the evidence and get this non-child prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. His parents should also be included in the criminal proceedings, especially if they knew and helped him hide evidence. Probably hard to prove, but at least you can get their kid. No money or stuff is worth the crap you describe.

Good luck!!!

( 832 ) · Post by **MagickalMemories** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 11:55 pm

To all the comments to let it pass, I say, "Frag that!"

As you've stated yourself, these people are bad news. Dad's a habitual drunk driver, the kids a dang thief... letting it go won't scare anyone straight, it'll enforce the "I can buy my way out of trouble" point of view.

Call the cops, have the kid arrested. As a minor, the parents will be, likely, responsible anyway.
Furthermore, I say you should cooperate with the police and press charges. Sure, they're felonies... but the kids a minor. He'll get his wrist slapped & when he turns 18, his record won't reflect it... but it will be there to show a pattern of behavior if this crud continues into adulthood... and in small claims court, you'll get back what they're offering or more, anyway!

Eric
Eric

WillFightForFood · Post by **WillFightForFood** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 12:37 am

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