Caught the Theif

[highpointtree]

I was on my way home this afternoon and I got a call from my wife. She said there were two guys on the hill where I have the firewood filling their pick up.
She asked me if they had called and did I forget to tell her someone would be coming over to get wood. I let her know they should not be there and to not get in a bad situation with them, but get their plate number. she called the neighbor and they went over to the guys and the guys said they forgot my number (number on the truck in the driveway) and they bought wood off me twice during the winter. (which they did). She then told them we have a door bell and she didn't want them helping themselves to the wood without talking to me first. and to take the wood back out of the truck and put it back on the pile. the guy mumbled "he lost a customer for life" reffering to me and himself as the customer.(he bought a total of $100.00 wood from me...big deal! ) Oh did I forget to mention, my wife is 7 months pregnant. I double timed it back where I was from and drove into this back woods development up in the mountain and actually found this dirt bag. when he saw me he looked like a deer in the headlights. actually asked me how I found him. I gave him a stern warning about coming anywhere near my house and left before I was too tempted to bust his lip. being a husband and father changes people. in the old days it would have went down on the spot no questions asked.

 

[indiansprings]

Sounds like you handled it great. You know who he is and he know's it.

Isn't it funny how having kids and being married changes things. I'm like you when I was single (and truthfully until I had kids) I would fight in a heart beat.
Got the scars to prove it, looking back it's not something I'm proud of now and certainlly am teaching my teenager's different.
If you would have popped the guy, you would have been in more trouble than his sorry hide, the system needs to have some common sense put back in it.

 

[highpointtree]

the funny thing is he was hiding in a small mountain lake community about 4 miles away. and couldn't believe how I found him. the truth is it was pure luck. on the way home I decided to take a quick detour and look for his truck, and Bingo there he was. he didn't seem to think he did anything wrong at first. I had to explain that when you take without asking, its called stealing!!!

 

[STLfirewood]

That is why I don't allow pick up. I don;t want people on the property taking inventory and coming back to steal.

Scott

 

[cstroke]

nice seems like it worked out pretty good, i doubt you'll see that guy again LOL

i just had my company vehicle stolen not long ago, i wasnt lucky enough to find the guy responsible

 

[time warp]

I have a different outlook on this.
If your on my property stealing from me & my wife calls me ( even if shes not pregnut) & I catch up with you later that day----YOUR butt will be beat to my satisfaction.

 

[highpointtree]

I have a different outlook on this.
If your on my property stealing from me & my wife calls me ( even if shes not pregnut) & I catch up with you later that day----YOUR butt will be beat to my satisfaction.

last time I was escorted to the station in braclets I was let go with an appearance ticket and the wife called everyone in my family crying . didn't need or want a repeat of that. she is philippine and has only been in the USA for about 13 months.

 

[whitemountain]

Great country, the Phillippines.

Glad this worked out for you. I would love to have seen the guys face when confronted about the whole situation.

 

[Blowncrewcab]

Did you get the wood Back???? Him having (your) stolen property in his truck would have helped lean the scale to your side a little if he did end up with a fat lip.

 

[Torin]

I'm awfully glad you kept your cool. I can see myself not being as in control as you were. No need to get arrested for some one elses crimes but, things can get out of hand quickly.

 

[Nailsbeats]

That's a tricky deal there seing as he bought from you before.

I had the similar thing happen to me a couple weeks back. The guy took a load of wood without me knowing and left a note on my door to call him, but left no payment. He took some from the wrong shed to boot.

Anyhow, against my instinct I believed it had to be an honest mistake, it was and he payed me after I contacted him by phone. He said he talked to my wife earlier, but she didn't remember.

With a wife/kids and all the drugged up losers running around one needs to be on his toes, just be smart about it.

 

[Turkeyslayer]

I have a different outlook on this.
If your on my property stealing from me & my wife calls me ( even if shes not pregnut) & I catch up with you later that day----YOUR butt will be beat to my satisfaction.

Your wife must be related to minelol

Highpointtree, I agree its not worth going to jail over a bit of wood. I'm just glad, the crime got foiled and you were able to catch up with the theif for the warning talk later the same day. If you ever have a problem with theivery(sp?) you now know who to look up.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

She should have called 911.......theft in progress.

:agree2:

Assaulting a thief over a pickup of firewood is a bigger crime than the theft.

Sadly true.

 

[iowawoodcutter]

being a husband and father changes people. in the old days it would have went down on the spot no questions asked.

It sure does, doesnt it? I always take the high road now, unlike when I was young and unattached.

 

[Turkeyslayer]

It sure does, doesnt it? I always take the high road now, unlike when I was young and unattached.

Before I was married with kids I took the "high" road almost daily.

 

[603doug]

Caught a guy dumping crap on my property and he started to give me a rash of sh*t then noticed my 9m on my hip and all of a sudden he was a real polite guy while we waited for the cops. Since then all we have to do is call the cops with a question and there is one in my driveway before I hang up the phone. Cost the bum $500 for dumping.
Yes, Virginia there is a Santa

 

[highpointtree]

I had called a friend of mine, thinking he would talk some sense into me before I found the guy (and I was on the hunt). and he did, but he also stated it wasn't worth calling the cops and I have to agree with him. we don't have local's and the state boys treat everyone like they are criminals. If I'm going to be treated that way I would have gave them a reason for it, like cracking the guy a few times. if he would have talked crap to me it probably would have went down. in hindsight it probably wasn't a good idea to track him down. but everything turned out ok.

 

[wigglesworth]

Glad you caught him. My wife would had probably shot him LOL She is a pretty good shot too.

 

[labrax]

I think you handled it great. You did not want your wife to get involved and asked her to just get the license plate. The neighbor assisted, and then you confronted the guy verbally without bashing in his head - but you let him know that loading up the wood without arranging it with you first is stealing. No excuse on that guys part - he didn't talk to you first before loading up the truck - that is a bold move on his part.

Sounds like you live in Western NJ if there isn't a local police presence.

 

[hoosierwoody]

You guys are nicer than me. IF I had problems with thieves I would do what my great grandmother did about thieves. They kept stealing gas out of her barn and one night she filled her cans with gas and water. The next morning there was a car about a mile down the road brokedown( and it was there for awhile) and she never had gas stole again. HMMMM if there was something you could do to a couple choice pieces of wood and let the thieves take home and burnnnnnnnn! Maybe a lesson could be learned . I definately agree that when somebody steals something you slaved over with sweat and blood it gets more personnel than stealing something you have bought.