neighbor vandalized my floodlight, my options?

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Originally Posted By: andrewg
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Cutehumor,

What does your wife say about you not wanting to talk to this neighbor ?

Does she wonder why you can't talk face to face with him ?



You really should reconsider your forum/poster name.

It doesn't fit.


I know many women would wonder why their husband would be so 'worried' about talking to the neighbor.
Not trying to cause trouble, was just asking a question....

After the first indident, I would have had a talk with the neighbor, very simple face to face talk. No punches or kicks, just a talk.
 
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice


I know many women would wonder why their husband would be so 'worried' about talking to the neighbor.
Not trying to cause trouble, was just asking a question....

After the first indident, I would have had a talk with the neighbor, very simple face to face talk. No punches or kicks, just a talk.



What puzzles me is why so many people would think you should
engage a neighbor in converstation who has ALREADY proven they have
no respect for private property OR cutehumor?
This person IS a criminal.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Originally Posted By: andrewg
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Cutehumor,

What does your wife say about you not wanting to talk to this neighbor ?

Does she wonder why you can't talk face to face with him ?



You really should reconsider your forum/poster name.

It doesn't fit.


I know many women would wonder why their husband would be so 'worried' about talking to the neighbor.
Not trying to cause trouble, was just asking a question....

After the first indident, I would have had a talk with the neighbor, very simple face to face talk. No punches or kicks, just a talk.



I would have as well. But the OP figured otherwise because the guy behaved very badly to begin with.

You've got to admit that when somebody vandalizes your property, it's rather difficult to just be friendly with the guy and not ask him "WHAT THE HECK IS YOUR PROBLEM"?

Things can get out of hand real quickly...even if you said nothing but an introduction.
I've found that weirdos that do such things as vandalize and ring your bell and run....aren't very likely to want to talk to you. They probably won't even answer the door out of shame. Some may indeed even get violent when they aren't even provoked because they are embarrassed and don't want to admit to what they did.

The OP figured it wasn't worth the risk. I don't think his wife would be questioning that.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: GiveMeAVowel
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice


I know many women would wonder why their husband would be so 'worried' about talking to the neighbor.
Not trying to cause trouble, was just asking a question....

After the first indident, I would have had a talk with the neighbor, very simple face to face talk. No punches or kicks, just a talk.



What puzzles me is why so many people would think you should
engage a neighbor in converstation who has ALREADY proven they have
no respect for private property OR cutehumor?
This person IS a criminal.


I agree with you....but many of the more vocal members here don't see it that way.

In my mind the guy is a complete horses rear, and deserves arrest.
 
Originally Posted By: NYSteve
CuteHumor,
If you decide to talk to him (on your property or his), make sure you record the conversation. It would not be unheard of for him to falsely accuse you of pulling a knife, threatening him, etc. It's happened before...


Each state and territory has its own statutes regarding the recording of conversations. Most state wiretapping and eavesdropping laws are based upon the federal law and allow recording with the consent of one party to the conversation.

The 37 states which allow “one party consent” recording of oral communications are: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The District of Columbia also allows people to record conversations with the consent of only one party. Nevada has a one party consent statute but there is some question as to how the law should be interpreted by the courts – it could be considered an “all party consent” state.

The 12 states which definitely require all parties to a conversation to consent before it can be recorded are: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington. (In California, there is an exception – you can record a conversation with the consent of only one party if certain criminal activity (kidnapping, extortion, bribery or a violent felony) is involved.)
 
andrewg,

By not confronting the neighbor only encourages the fool to keep vandalizing property.
A man needs to be a man and do the right thing.
 
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
andrewg,

By not confronting the neighbor only encourages the fool to keep vandalizing property.
A man needs to be a man and do the right thing.


It's not always that simple....especially with individuals that exhibit his sort of behavior.

Sure, it MAY work out just fine after a discussion. But one thing to keep in mind is that in order to allow this discussion, the OP would be required to let go and forgive criminal trespass and vandalism. With sneaky vandals, if you even THINK about bringing up what they did during any sort of talk...it will most likely be denied and he could very well then turn the tables on the OP and say that he is being harassed.
At that point the OP might just wish he had not confronted him at all. In an extreme case, the guy COULD become violent.

But of course....if the OP gives the idiot a complete pass during the discussion and complies with whatever this crazy guy wants....then yes, it may be resolved in some way.

But for me, I would have GREAT difficulty letting go of what that guy did. It's illegal and frightening to live next door to somebody like that. I'd be compelled to tell him that I know EXACTLY what he's been doing and that I would expect an apology at the very least and tell him that if he does anything to my property one more time....I'll be calling the police and going after him legally.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: GiveMeAVowel
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
I know many women would wonder why their husband would be so 'worried' about talking to the neighbor.
Not trying to cause trouble, was just asking a question....

After the first indident, I would have had a talk with the neighbor, very simple face to face talk. No punches or kicks, just a talk.


What puzzles me is why so many people would think you should
engage a neighbor in converstation who has ALREADY proven they have
no respect for private property OR cutehumor?


This person IS a criminal.


I've found verbal face to face communication works very well when I have a problem with a person.
 
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Originally Posted By: GiveMeAVowel
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
I know many women would wonder why their husband would be so 'worried' about talking to the neighbor.
Not trying to cause trouble, was just asking a question....

After the first indident, I would have had a talk with the neighbor, very simple face to face talk. No punches or kicks, just a talk.


What puzzles me is why so many people would think you should
engage a neighbor in converstation who has ALREADY proven they have
no respect for private property OR cutehumor?


This person IS a criminal.


I've found verbal face to face communication works very well when I have a problem with a person.



I think you are missing his point.

GiveMeAVowel is trying to convey that since this neighbor has already broken the law by trespassing, harassing, and vandalizing the OP's property....what is the talk going to center on? Giving him a pass and asking him to stop?

If somebody perpetrates a crime upon you, the average person doesn't think a discussion is in order. After all, the crazy neighbor is an adult and should be held accountable, right? Accountability still means something, doesn't it?
 
OP needs to get actions on video and call law enforcement, have the guy arrested with clear evidence. Do NOT attempt to converse with the subject. It could make things worse or even become dangerous for the OP.

Like many petty criminals they like to do their damage UNTIL they face jail time and large fines. One the perp realizes he will be "inconvenienced" by those things he will crawl away and never be a problem again.
 
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Originally Posted By: andrewg




I think you are missing his point.

If somebody perpetrates a crime upon you, the average person doesn't think a discussion is in order. After all, the crazy neighbor is an adult and should be held accountable, right?

Accountability still means something, doesn't it?


Indeed, there are consequences for your actions as an adult, now the perp must be made to suffer them.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice

A man needs to be a man and do the right thing.


These days, "being a man" can get you shot. It's unfortunate, but doing the old school "right thing" is getting unsafe.

Look at the guy who hit the toddler who was unsupervised in the street with his van. He did the right thing, and stopped to help the kid and deal with what had happened. He got shot and killed as a result. A lot of people do not react in a rational, calm manner, and that has to be considered when talking about confronting someone who obviously has a screw loose.

I agree with the poster who said that if the OP decides to engage in any conversation with this neighbor, it needs to be recorded. If that can't be legally done, then at this point it may need to be left to authorities because this neighbor is not all there and not stable. The OP is not dealing with a rational, calm neighbor. He is dealing with someone who prefers vandalism to conversation and needs to take that into consideration.

I hope this neighbor just has too much time on his hands and isn't good with face to face communication, but might back down and calm down if confronted. You can't really bank on that being the case though. He might have serious mental issues, and might be perceiving things in a very irrational way.
 
Originally Posted By: Win
You fellows act like there is only one side to this sordid story.


Regardless of the "sides" involved....only one of the individuals here committed a criminal offense. The rest can be argued about back and forth....but none of the OP's actions regarding his lighting constitute IN ANY WAY justification for vandalism, harassment, and trespass.
 
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Originally Posted By: GiveMeAVowel
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
I know many women would wonder why their husband would be so 'worried' about talking to the neighbor.
Not trying to cause trouble, was just asking a question....

After the first indident, I would have had a talk with the neighbor, very simple face to face talk. No punches or kicks, just a talk.


What puzzles me is why so many people would think you should
engage a neighbor in converstation who has ALREADY proven they have
no respect for private property OR cutehumor?


This person IS a criminal.


I've found verbal face to face communication works very well when I have a problem with a person.


Right up until he calls the police and says you pulled a gun on him. Nope...no way.

Were it me, I would put protective cages over all the lights, install the brightest bulbs I could find, and install several prominent signs: "PROPERTY MONITORED BY 24-HOUR VIDEO-TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED!"

Might also add: "DANGER-TRAINED ATTACK DOGS"
 
When the OP saw his neighbor watching him from behind the bush between their houses while he was installing the video camera, he should of said something like, "Hi neighbor, I need to talk to you about something." and see what he would have said. The OP then could have said something like "I don't think you like my lights shining towards your place at night - sorry about that - but was wondering of you were vandalizing them because of that. As you can see, I've installed lower wattage bulbs and have re-aimed them so they don't spill over on your property." Then see how the neighbor reacts to that. He will either come around and say he did and apologize and offer to pay for the damage, or he'll get all belligerent and go off the deep end or just run back inside his house. Former reaction says he's pretty normal, latter two reaction says he's a nut case.
 
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