Surprised a Burglar in my House Today

[Kai]

It's Sunday, and I should have been at church with the rest of my family, but I was traveling to New York, so I was at home.

I was in the basement, and I heard noises from upstairs. At first I thought it was my dog (who has learned to work the doorknob and let himself in,) but I heard noises coming from my bedroom, where the dog doesn't go.

I was worried enough to grab a big framing hammer before I went upstairs to investigate. I crept upstairs, and then definitely heard a person in my bedroom. I ran in there, ready to beat somebody with the hammer and ended up confronting the 11 year old daughter of our neighbor. She'd pulled the step stool from our walk-in closet and was going through some shelves. She had a cloth shopping bag in her hand.

I was flabbergasted. She was the last thing I expected to see. I told her to get home and tell her mom what she had done. She just kept saying "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." I called her dad and he said he'd take care of it.

What the **** is going on? This girl was at my home yesterday for my daughter's birthday. She's on my daughter's soccer team, I drove her to school for years when we were car pooling, and I think (thought?) of her as a sweet little girl.

Now she's sneaking into my home while my family is at church to steal stuff? It makes me really really sad.

 

[drizzt3117]

Wow that sucks... I guess you normally leave everything unlocked or have the garage door open and don't expect anyone to break in? Unfortunately we don't have that luxury here...

 

[Kai]

Originally Posted by drizzt3117

Wow that sucks... I guess you normally leave everything unlocked or have the garage door open and don't expect anyone to break in? Unfortunately we don't have that luxury here...


We live way out in the country, miles from anything. Only 7 homes in our neighborhood. Gated private drive, surrounded by nothing but fields and cows. If somebody is home, the doors are not locked. When we are all gone, we lock the doors, but I was home so the doors weren't locked.

 

[globetrotter]

that sucks. you have to wonder what she was thinking

 

[Augustus Medici]

Eleven years old? Jeeze.

MTV fan, no doubt.

 

[wEstSidE]

Yea...I blame it on MTV too. Have you seen My Super-Sweet Sixteen? C'mon now that's just breeding moral depravity.;

 

[zjpj83]

Crazy. I would have called the cops.

 

[chobochobo]

It would have been worst if you and your neighbours roles were reversed, and it was your daughter breaking in. What would you do or say?

 

[Tokyo Slim]

This reminds me of me. I hope that for the girl's sake, the situation isn't that similar.

I was probably 8 when I broke into my first house and stole stuff. I couldn't tell you exactly what prompts this sort of behavior in others, but I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that there are family problems of some kind over at the neighbors house. I hate to blame it on that, but in my personal experience, the feeling that nobody really cared about me, my anger at the abuses I recieved, or the fact that I had to pretend it was ok and put on a smiling face every morning, and the feeling that I didn't have anything to lose (I didn't think jail would be any worse than home) was probably my main motivating factor. As it turns out, juvenile detention, group homes, treatment facilities, "hospitals" and later on jail actually made me feel safer than being at home. I knew what to expect and what lines not to cross, and if someone got their ass beat, it was because they actually did something tangibly wrong or broke a code or rule. At least when you are locked up, I thought, the world made sense.

One can only hope, that if thats the case, this young girl learns to deal with life in other ways... and she gets the hell out of there. It took me a long time to change my attitudes and I went through a lot of **** to do it. Maybe the hard way is better, but I know how much pain there is in some children's hearts, and how a normal seeming family can hide some pretty disgusting secrets. Or how a normal seeming child can be in emotional torment. I also know that people too quick to dismiss this kind of thing as something purely criminal in intent may be missing a cry for help.

I'm not saying that your neighbors are beating their kids or sexually abusing them or anything, but alot of times, there are reasons for this sort of stuff that goes beond what you would assume to be their childish nature or reasoning. Maybe she needs some help.

In any case, I doubt MTV has much to do with it.

 

[acidboy]

+1 on Slim.

An 11 year old breaking and entering means that girl has some serious issues. I'd be curious too to know what prompts her to do that. What a sad story.

 

[LabelKing]

Maybe she's a kleptomaniac.

 

[wEstSidE]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

This reminds me of me. I hope that for the girl's sake, the situation isn't that similar.

I was probably 8 when I broke into my first house and stole stuff. I couldn't tell you exactly what prompts this sort of behavior in others, but I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that there are family problems of some kind over at the neighbors house. I hate to blame it on that, but in my personal experience, the feeling that nobody really cared about me, my anger at the abuses I recieved, or the fact that I had to pretend it was ok and put on a smiling face every morning, and the feeling that I didn't have anything to lose (I didn't think jail would be any worse than home) was probably my main motivating factor. As it turns out, juvenile detention, group homes, treatment facilities, "hospitals" and later on jail actually made me feel safer than being at home. I knew what to expect and what lines not to cross, and if someone got their ass beat, it was because they actually did something tangibly wrong or broke a code or rule. At least when you are locked up, I thought, the world made sense.

One can only hope, that if thats the case, this young girl learns to deal with life in other ways... and she gets the hell out of there. It took me a long time to change my attitudes and I went through a lot of **** to do it. Maybe the hard way is better, but I know how much pain there is in some children's hearts, and how a normal seeming family can hide some pretty disgusting secrets. Or how a normal seeming child can be in emotional torment. I also know that people too quick to dismiss this kind of thing as something purely criminal in intent may be missing a cry for help.

I'm not saying that your neighbors are beating their kids or sexually abusing them or anything, but alot of times, there are reasons for this sort of stuff that goes beond what you would assume to be their childish nature or reasoning. Maybe she needs some help.

In any case, MTV has much to do with it.
I rest my case.

 

[mack11211]

At least she wasn't going for your clothes.

 

[Buickguy]

I won't pass any judgment on the girl, that's for courts.
My suggestion is that if you find yourself in a similar situation; do not go looking for the intruder. Call your local law enforcement agency, whether that is a city PD or county sheriff's department. If you choose to keep a firearm in your home, let the 911 dispatcher know the homeowner is armed. Keep 911 on the line until the police arrive. Go to a safe room and stay there. If the intruder comes to you, warn them away.
You were very fortunate that it was an eleven year old neighbor and not a more hardened criminal or criminals. Remember that the police are trained to clear a house and you are not. Clearing a home is a very time consuming thing to do properly and it can really get the adrenalin flowing. Cops are human too (believe it or not) and will be on edge responding to a home invasion. Make sure you inform the 911 dispatcher where you are in the home and ask that the responding officers call out to you. DO NOT GREET THE POLICE WITH ANYTHING IN YOUR HAND. This would be a very bad time to come out with that hammer in your hand or any other tool you choose for self defense.

 

[Joel_Cairo]

I blame democrats and activist judges. Where the hell is that harpy Nancy Grace when we need her?