New neighbor a felon

[jt1]

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. The guy sounds like a real loser. I wish it was as simple as he made a mistake, served his time and now everyone lives happily ever after. I am getting real tired of hearing everyday of someone being robbed, raped, kindnapped, murdered or whatever by folks who have prior violent records and are now out on the street. I don't claim to have the answers, but what we are doing now isn't working that well. Share the high road with those who deserve it, be preparied to take a detour with those who don't.

 

[LightningJoe]

You were there. You talked to the guy. I wasn't. But it sounds like you got a bad impression.


The fact that he bragged to you about his crime is a very, very bad sign. If he brags about being a felon and shooting a black guy and laughs about being a "shooter", it sounds like you've got a full-blown problem across the street.


Definitely stay away from him. Show no weakness. Don't be friendly. Don't give him a millimeter. Don't have any chinks in your armor. Be ready for a fight at any time. Survive the encounter and put him back in the jug.


Or move away. If you're renting, that might be good option.

 

[chingon]

So we have some new neighbors(renters) moving in across the street, I noticed them moving stuff in earlier today. I must admit I was a little concerned to see these baggy clothed kids(20's) moving their stuff into the house but that was only the beginning.

So I go about my day and I get a call from one of my friends who says he found a rifle case at his house and asked if I wanted it. He proceeded to bring it over and we visited on my patio for a few minutes. When he leaves I hear him talking with my new neighbor(they went to high school together), so I went to introduce myself.

We get through the formalities and he asks "so your into guns?" I guess he saw my friend bring the gun case in from his car. I replied that I enjoy shooting, but withheld my inner gunfreak. I asked him if he did any shooting and he replied that he didn't, because he was a FELON. He then goes on to tell me that he shot a big black(he used a racial slur) guy, so he said I could call him a shooter and then giggled.

Needless to say I am not happy about this and plan on contacting the owner. I am still processing this at the moment and am still heated. I call my friend after he leaves to get some background on this POS and he told me that when he went to high school w/ him he was a G'd up pot dealer. I'm not as worried about the whole pot thing as much as him being a felon and racist. I plan on keeping my eyes on these folks and keeping my distance as well. My neighborhood is turning into crap and I'm mad as hell about it .

Oh I found his felony conviction on public access - 1 ct AGGRAVATED BATTERY - INTENTIONAL, BODILY HARM-F 07 on 07/27/06 I'm not trying to start a war with these scum bags but would like to get them out of here. I guess I'll give them a chance but document anything they do that disrupts the "hood."

I feel your pain. We have had bad neighbors a few times. The first neighbors of the house accross the street from us. A young guy bought it and they partied all the time with cars all over the place. They would even wind up fighting in the street in the middle of the night. He would yell that nobody would do anything to him because his uncle was a police LT. and he was pretty much right. The city police would do nothing, but everyone just kept calling the cops till finally he left. It was about a year.

Next the house next to ours was bought by someone that rented it out. They rented it twice to crackheads and the cops were pretty much worthless in this case also. I even tried to press charges when the last guy threatened me but neither the cops or DA would do anything. I guarantee he would have been sorry if he had followed through on the thread as I was carrying. We just kept calling the cops on them and most importantly we hounded the people renting it out. Finally the sold it and nice people live there now. They owned it a couple of years. The guy renting it out had a business downtown and we threatened to picket his store. That's what motivated him the most. They were both had a lot of drug traffic in and out of the house, but the cops wouldn't do anything. The last guy had aids, I figure from sharing needles because he had a family. Neither worked but they bought a ton of stuff.

My best recommendations are to call the cops immediately if necessary, and hope they are not as worthless as they are here. Next call the people renting it constantly if necessary, have attorneys call for you also. The most important thing get others on the street to stick together as we did.

 

[Geno]

More concerned Re: the racism than the assault.

We had a felon move in next door, and the man actually turned out be a half decent human being. He never stole anything. He beat a guy near to death for attacking and trying to molest his little sister...as in "caught-in-the-act"! The excess of the attack is why he went to prison for 18 months. His landlord had known him near all his life and so still rented to him. So, we even invited he, his wife and child to dine with us as well the landlord (neighbor) from which he rented the upstairs.

Trust but confirm. Just because I, as a Christian, believe in forgiveness does not mean I will not be vigilant. Or better stated, just because I turn the other cheek doesn't mean I'll take my eyes off them.

Be safe, and be fair. Do not cause undue trouble for him, nor allow undue risks to your family. In closing, when we moved, I hired him to help me move. I took the firearms and ammo, etc, the day prior, and he helped with everything else.

 

[Will Learn]

I found out, from a friend that he was robbed at gunpoint while selling pot and shot one of the robbers as he ran. My friend who knows(through friends) the guy said he still smokes pot but has a kid and has chilled out. I didn't see any kids around but I hope this is true(not the pot part). Theres not much I can do at this point except watch for repeat behavior.

Oh and I'll make sure to keep the phone near in case I need help.

 

[Nomad101bc]

Well I dont see why its not legal to beat your little sister's molester within inches of his life. Kinda your right if you ask me we had a guy around here who found out his neighbor molested his daughter so he stabbed him to death with a kitchen knife and CT decided to only make him serve two years. I dont see why he had to serve any in that case he is doing a society a favour sparing us from a serial molester.

 

[kungfuhippie]

So, just don't rob him and you should be ok
I bet the kid doesn't live with him...but he gets to visit if he stays straight.
That can be a real motivator.

 

[Beagle-zebub]

Hm.


I'd get to know him a little better, just to have a better idea of whether or not he's a threat.

 

[TimboKhan]

The fact that he willingly offered up that fact that he "shot a big ******" and giggled about it surprised me.

I don't want to sound like I am condoning racist comments in any way, but welcome to the world, man. In Colorado, African-American racism is relatively rare, but being racist towards Mexicans is a very common occurence. Usually, it's couched in something, like "Oh, you don't want to move to that part of town, it's full of Mexicans", but it isn't at all uncommon to hear far worse than that. Interestingly, it's a problem that seems to cover all parts of society. A redneck is just as likely to say something as a socialite, in other words.

 

[aaronrkelly]

I absolutely LOVE to hear posts like these:

"This effects you how? If he isn't looking for problems don't give him any. Treat people how you wanna be treated."

"+1 on the mind your own business. If he's a convicted felon, he paid for his crime. I don't think our founders meant for people with a record to be punished in perpetuity. As long as he behaves, he should be free to live where he pleases."

Its the reason I like this place. Assumptions arent made, conclusions arent jumped to and people are treated fairly until they give a reason not to.

Thank you all, from a pierced, tattooed and baggy pants wearing NRA Life Member. Im not a Felon, I actually work in law enforcement but ALOT of people out there would lump me in the same group as this guys neighbor based on my appearance (and perhaps actions if you didnt know me).

Love this place.....

 

[Thain]

As a certain politician that (most of us) remember (mostly) fondly once said: "Trust but verify."

(And to clarify, I wasn't calling you a "complete donkey," I was refering to the propossal of many in this thread suggestign that you do everyhting possibel to run him out of the neighborhood.)

 

[Ithaca37]

He's served his time & these things are in the past it would seem.

+1 Give it sometime. He has paid his debt to society and he should be treated the same as everyone else.

This effects you how? If he isn't looking for problems don't give him any. Treat people how you wanna be treated.

+1

The only way he could serve a debt to society is to jion the military otherwise getting free meals with our tax dollars and an air conditioned cell does'nt cut as served a debt...Remain vigilant and trust him with nothing!

When did all of this militarism take over the US? If I have to hear one more person say that the only way to do something for your country is to join the military .....

Some food for thought on the subject of the military:
Alexander Hamilton: "...that standing army can never be formidable (threatening) to the liberties of the people, while there is a large body of citizens, little if at all inferior to them in the use of arms." (Federalist Paper #29)

Rep. Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts: "What, sir, is the use of a militia? It is to prevent the establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty." Rep. of Massachusetts, I Annals of Congress at 750 (August 17, 1789).

 

[rantingredneck]

As others have said be vigilant.

Had a similar situation happen years ago when I was still living at home with my parents. A neighbor who owned several rental properties in the same neighborhood rented to a fellow who he knew had just got out of prison, but thought it was for assault with a deadly weapon. The story he told was one where he was attacked and counterattacked with force found to be excessive at trial. Seemed like a nice enough fellow, just got a raw deal. So he lived there for about six or eight months before his story started unravelling. Turns out he had actually served time for molestation of young children. And I'm not talking about a case of teenage intercourse where the guy gets prosecuted either. He was in his 20's and this was young children. Needless to say we no longer had anything to do with him and he moved shortly after. I made it VERY clear to him that he was not welcome on our property. Sounds like you've done the prudent thing by verifying the charges already. Our situation was before the age of the internet so it was a bit more difficult to confirm, took a couple trips to the county sheriff's office.

A few years ago my parents had a child molester move in two houses up. Sex with a girl under 14. My little sister was 10 at the time. That really didn't go over well.

I feel for you, man, but it could be worse.

In NC, and I'm sure most other states, there are online databases with maps that you can look this kind of information up. I'm glad I did, and then again I wish I never had. Even out here in the sticks you'd be surprised how many live within 2 miles of me.

 

[ptmmatssc]

I would invest in a good quality camcorder and some tapes if you do not already own them. If the activities at his place give rise to concern you might document them. Recording the multiple goings and comings or any other suspicious activity can have uses in the future.

Yup , good idea. Heck , we should have cameras trained on ALL our neighbors houses , just in case . Matter of fact , with that way of thinking , my neighbor should have a camera pointed at MY house considering how often guns come and go in view of them , and I look like a "dirty biker" .
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j35/ptmmatssc/1111.jpg

I find it interesting that peoples responses jump right to the conclusion that a "felon" is automatically a thief,troublemaker , and perpetual repeat offender. I don't know this guy , so he could be a "dirtbag" , yet , he could also be a decent guy . I would judge him by his actions , not his "attire" etc . .

There are a few felons in my neighborhood and they know that I know them and their past . Never have a problem with them . The "problems" I have had have come from the ones that don't have a criminal record (yet) and are from the more affluent families of the area . Things are not always as they appear .

 

[gunsmith]

I hate the saggy baggy look

he may think using racial slurs is cool, I hear kids say it all the time and they are not racist but trying to talk like hip hop rap stars or something.
I do my level best to keep all baggy/saggy types out of my cab,(black or white) if they dress and talk like a gang member they may decide to act like one too.
I wouldn't try to kick him out of your neighborhood, if he messes up or wakes you up with that loud rap music then you have a good reason.

 

[Citroen]

Lots out there

I think many people would be surprised at the number of convicted criminals that are out and about. Most go through each day just like the rest of us do. Some, however, never change their ways.

A bad neighbor is a real unpleasant situation but it would seem to me that the best course of action would be to just we aware and wait and see. It could be that this guy will turn out to be a really great neighbor - never bother anybody and be the first to offer help when needed. At this point you don't know!

Language is often more a sign of education or lack there-of than of deeper feelings - there are lots of people who throw out some pretty profane words which are offensive to some of us. Personally I get bent out of shape with a few of the four letter words that seem to be standard for many people. Yes, I am not shy about letting them know that too.

You were there and it is your neighborhood but it would appear that just paying attention, using normal caution and, perhaps, even stopping and chatting with the guy once in a while might be a good course of action.

You never know, he could turn out to be the best neighbor you have!

John
Charlotte, NC

 

[offthepaper]

Sometimes it's good to forgive...............Often though, it's foolish to completely forget.
Be polite, be a good neighbor (until you can get a better "read" on him), but be cautious. If he's a *******, it won't take long to figure it out.

 

[frank23185]

I have found that absentee landlords rarely care about the harm they do to a neighborhood by renting to undesireables.

 

[buck00]

Hold your friends close and your enemies even closer

I have to admit, this guy did tell you straight up he was a felon. He was honest with you. I would be more worried if he didn't mention it. A felon with a half a brain would NOT break into his neighbor's house, because the cops would obviously come down on him hard during the investigation. Way too much risk/heat.


I agree with the posts, remain vigilant, monitor, but I would stress you don't want to provoke him.

The most foolish thing you can do is to call the cops once or twice a week if his stereo is playing a bit loud or if "guys in baggy pants" are visiting. Don't overreact like a grandma who calls the cops every time the neighbor has a party. Why? That is a good way to create antagonism (and possible harassment/retaliation) when it can be easily avoided. Keep things neutral.

I would be quiet, keep a low profile, and simply monitor things.

 

[jerkface11]

He shot someone who was robbing him at gunpoint. OMG No one on THR would EVER advocate such actions. Anyone who would should be run out of town on a rail!!!!

 

[ozwyn]

Be respectful, be polite, keep your house secured and your eyes open.

The more polite, respectful and direct you are, the fewer issues you will have. Project the simple truth that as long as your interests are not bothered you will not interfere with anyone else's interests.

Anything that happens after that becomnes of consequence of the other party and their decision making process. That's just how to live with neighbors of any kind IMO.

 

[budney]

Its the reason I like this place. Assumptions arent made, conclusions arent jumped to and people are treated fairly until they give a reason not to.

+1

However, it sounds from the original post as if the guy was bragging about his crime. That, plus the overt racism, are good reasons to be vigilant.

--Len.

 

[joab]

He then goes on to tell me that he shot a big black(he used a racial slur) guy,

1 ct AGGRAVATED BATTERY - INTENTIONAL, BODILY HARM-F 07 on 07/27/06

Still doesn't add up
I'm still leaning towards poser

 

[kungfuhippie]

What's with all this "be vigil" stuff? So if a felon doesn't move into your neighborhood you can just be a bliss ninny? Nothing should change. You should always be on the look out for suspicious activity no matter who you live next to. If all of the sudden a new neighbor makes you want to make security changes, then those changes are long overdue anyway.

 

[Deanimator]

Be respectful, be polite, keep your house secured and your eyes open.

The more polite, respectful and direct you are, the fewer issues you will have. Project the simple truth that as long as your interests are not bothered you will not interfere with anyone else's interests.

Anything that happens after that becomnes of consequence of the other party and their decision making process. That's just how to live with neighbors of any kind IMO.

I find that ignoring people and not talking to them at all works best.

Odds are, they've got nothing to say I want to hear anyway...