Pumpkin drama all over again..... UPDATE page 4

[nutterbutter2010]

Ok, so heres whats gone on so far.....

Sunday nite: Come home to pumpkins stolen from the front of the house ($60 worth), call and make a report. (We later find out that every year there are at least 20 calls before/after Halloween for stolen pumpkins. This year, we were the only ones!!!!)

Monday nite: Come home to find pumpkins smashed all over front landing and driveway. I go outside and throw out about $30 worth of mums and gords we had left (so no one could rip them up all over my house). We now have no fall decorations left. I didn't call the police or go to the house that took the pumpkins (they left all my stolen pumpkins on the curb right in front of their house on the same street as me!! One looked like it was cut in have with a machete, but the rest where still whole ) because a house went on fire on our street that same nite.

Tuesday nite: A detective calls asking if anything else happens, and I tell him about the smashed pumpkins from Monday nite, and mention to him that I found my pumpkins on the same street, about 15 houses away (not even thinking that he would want to go over there... DUH!!!). He says hes going to take a drive down there, and I hear nother else about it.
9pm: An office knocks on my door asking why we called. WE DIDN'T CALL!! So now I don't know if someone called the cops to our house for yet another prank, or what. It could have been the detective sending the officer there just to check on us, but at 9 a nite? And he knew nothing about the detective.... very very strange. One thing that came of the officer coming over was I found out a lot about my tiny little dead on street. Apparently a lot of wierd stuff goes on that we don't even know about!!!!!


Today I will be calling the detective to ask if he sent the officer to my house last night, and if not, to have the call traced to find out who called them out here. I think its a federal offence to do that?!

This is just so crazy. I was upset about losing my pumpkins, but I didn't want all this to happen!! Next year I will not be putting out any decorations, and I may keep my lights off on Halloween....

 

[just4today]

So, the stolen pumpkins were sitting on the curb in front of a house down the street and you are sure that the occupants of the house took them? How can you be sure of that?

Also, didn't you say earlier the pumpkins were $70? Not that big a deal, but really - whether it's $60 or $70, the fact remains that pumpkins don't last forever. It is wrong that somebody took your pumpkins, but I think you're making a huge deal out of something you probably should have just blown off. JMO

 

[Sanchez]

This sounds like a waste of law enforcement resources.

 

[RitaE]

Your town actually put a Detective on a Stolen Pumpkin Case?

 

[Boo'sMom]

I thought you spent $70 on the pumpkins, not $60? You should probably check your receipt for the police report.

I thought the neighbors house burning down caused you to "let this go"

 

[Acklander]

I guess I missed the first thread, but you actually tore up all your fall decorations so pranksters wouldn't tear them up????? Once I came out of my house and someone had slashed my front tires. I didn't slash the back tires so they wouldn't have something to slash if they came back.

 

[VillageMama]

I know it's hard to believe but there really are towns that are small and quiet enough that the police would have time to investigate a case of theft and vandalism that involved Halloween pumpkins.

It is a crime to come onto someone's property and take their possessions, whether it is pumpkins or CDs in your car or your lawnmower. Police are the ones who investigate crimes.

Sure, pumpkin theft and vandalism are not in the same league as arson or murder but some small towns never experience arson or murder. I live in one such town. It's why we moved here.

 

[Acklander]

I've lived in very small towns, but don't think I would have called the cops for a pumpkin theft/smashing around Halloween. I always put that in the same category as TP'ing a house or throwing eggs. Part of the Halloween pranks.

 

[just4today]

I know it's hard to believe but there really are towns that are small and quiet enough that the police would have time to investigate a case of theft and vandalism that involved Halloween pumpkins.

It is a crime to come onto someone's property and take their possessions, whether it is pumpkins or CDs in your car or your lawnmower. Police are the ones who investigate crimes.

Sure, pumpkin theft and vandalism are not in the same league as arson or murder but some small towns never experience arson or murder. I live in one such town. It's why we moved here.

Of course theft is theft, no matter what the value of the property. My point is that the pumpkins are perishable anyway and at some point you have to ask yourself, is it worth all of this trouble? Is it worth taking up the time of police officers dealing with recovering stolen pumpkins that are just going to rot in a short time anyway? I don't think so, but I guess the OP does.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Of course theft is theft, no matter what the value of the property. My point is that the pumpkins are perishable anyway and at some point you have to ask yourself, is it worth all of this trouble? Is it worth taking up the time of police officers dealing with recovering stolen pumpkins that are just going to rot in a short time anyway? I don't think so, but I guess the OP does.

What the pumpkins will do as a part of the natural process is irrelevant.


Also guys---she reported the pumpkins, she did NOT call for the detective. Someone else called and they came to the house to follow up.


I can't believe that just b/c it is a pumpkin that folks are casting it off as nothing.

 

[NMAmy]

Ok, so heres whats gone on so far.....

Sunday nite: Come home to pumpkins stolen from the front of the house ($60 worth), call and make a report. (We later find out that every year there are at least 20 calls before/after Halloween for stolen pumpkins. This year, we were the only ones!!!!)

Monday nite: Come home to find pumpkins smashed all over front landing and driveway. I go outside and throw out about $30 worth of mums and gords we had left (so no one could rip them up all over my house). We now have no fall decorations left. I didn't call the police or go to the house that took the pumpkins (they left all my stolen pumpkins on the curb right in front of their house on the same street as me!! One looked like it was cut in have with a machete, but the rest where still whole ) because a house went on fire on our street that same nite.

Tuesday nite: A detective calls asking if anything else happens, and I tell him about the smashed pumpkins from Monday nite, and mention to him that I found my pumpkins on the same street, about 15 houses away (not even thinking that he would want to go over there... DUH!!!). He says hes going to take a drive down there, and I hear nother else about it.
9pm: An office knocks on my door asking why we called. WE DIDN'T CALL!! So now I don't know if someone called the cops to our house for yet another prank, or what. It could have been the detective sending the officer there just to check on us, but at 9 a nite? And he knew nothing about the detective.... very very strange. One thing that came of the officer coming over was I found out a lot about my tiny little dead on street. Apparently a lot of wierd stuff goes on that we don't even know about!!!!!


Today I will be calling the detective to ask if he sent the officer to my house last night, and if not, to have the call traced to find out who called them out here. I think its a federal offence to do that?!

This is just so crazy. I was upset about losing my pumpkins, but I didn't want all this to happen!! Next year I will not be putting out any decorations, and I may keep my lights off on Halloween....

Okay, the most shocking thing to me about this whole post is that usually TWENTY people call the police about stolen pumpkins??? Whenever I've had a pumpkin stolen, I've just figured they saved me from having to toss it in a trash bag when it started rotting. I prefer to have the cops working on more important things.

I think you're really overreacting to this whole thing.

 

[RitaE]

Sure, pumpkin theft and vandalism are not in the same league as arson or murder but some small towns never experience arson or murder. I live in one such town. It's why we moved here.

Sure, especially once a machete is added into the mix. No Jack O Lantern should suffer that fate.

btw, I grew up in a town of less than 2000 people and I still can't imagine a Police Department expending all that much energy over smashed pumpkins.

 

[nutterbutter2010]

First of all, your right, in the last thread I did say $70. We spent that amount, but one of the pumpkins had started to ooze about a week after we bought them, so to be fair, it was really only $60 that they took. Second, I couldn't believe that a detective call us over this, it was a total suprise to me. I just thought that we put in the report and that was it, but I guess not. You always hear that no one ever follows up, who knew! Also, I don't care what people take from my home, its still my property, and just the fact that someone feels its OK to come onto my property when I'm not home and take things, really scares me. I grew up in a nice small town (just like this one...) and nothing like this ever happened.
Lastly, no I didn't rip up my decorations up, give me a break. I said that I threw away the mums (that were half dead. I've never been good with plants!!) and gords that I had left because I didn't want to find them torn up on my front lawn. That would have been more to clean up.

 

[just4today]

What the pumpkins will do as a part of the natural process is irrelevant.

I find it quite relevant.

 

[JoiseyMom]

Of course theft is theft, no matter what the value of the property. My point is that the pumpkins are perishable anyway and at some point you have to ask yourself, is it worth all of this trouble? Is it worth taking up the time of police officers dealing with recovering stolen pumpkins that are just going to rot in a short time anyway? I don't think so, but I guess the OP does.

Yes she does...and I don't blamer her!! Why is everyone bashing the OP??? If you have kids vandalizing and they get away with it the first time, they will continue to do it!! It was wrong and I dont blame her for calling. The response of the vandals is even worse!! And I would have called the cops again! At this point I blame the parents..who let the kids act like little terrorists!

I have a co-worker who's pumpkin was stolen before the holiday, it was at her bf's house. There were lots of other issues with theft from cars..nails on the driveway etc.. But they have done nothing about it! They know who is doing it too. I would call the cops to put a stop to it..but that is just me.

And it is a cops job to investigate vandalism..not a waste of their resources!! That is why the OP pays taxes!! It isn't like she was calling for nothing!!

The respones here and on the OT just amaze me .

 

[Mermaid02]

I agree- calling the cops about stolen pumpkins? Really? If they stole your patio set that would be one thing... but pumpkins? We take ours in every night so they don't get stolen- and then on Halloween night, we leave them out so some little thug can get the thrill of "stealing" them and "smashing" them.... we're just going to put them in the trash anyway.

I did call when someone got in our car and stole an mp3 player, just in case it was turned into the police station... no such luck of course.........

 

[just4today]

Yes she does...and I don't blamer her!! Why is everyone bashing the OP???

Please point out where I was "bashing" the OP. I disagreed with the OP. That isn't bashing.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I find it quite relevant.

So then it is okay to steal things that will perish?

Including garden flowers, bushes (I had half of my oleander bush disappear--but didn't discover it for a while. I was puzzled as I though the bush was bigger than it was but couldn't figure out how it got smaller. ), etc.

What about a real Christmas wreath off of the front door? The poinsettia off of the porch?

The perishable nature of these items--based on what you have said, makes it no big deal to steal since they will die off and rot anyway, right?

We've got someone whose property has been stolen and it is her fault that she is making a big deal out of it.

 

[nutterbutter2010]

So, the stolen pumpkins were sitting on the curb in front of a house down the street and you are sure that the occupants of the house took them? How can you be sure of that?
Also, didn't you say earlier the pumpkins were $70? Not that big a deal, but really - whether it's $60 or $70, the fact remains that pumpkins don't last forever. It is wrong that somebody took your pumpkins, but I think you're making a huge deal out of something you probably should have just blown off. JMO

I can't be sure of that at all and thats exactly what I told the detective when he called. I said that maybe the person who took them decided to just drop them infront of someone elses house so they wouldn't get in trouble. I do, however, know that they were mine 100%. It was the same amount of little ones, and the two big ones were the ones I picked out at the farm.

 

[just4today]

So then it is okay to steal things that will perish?

Including garden flowers, bushes (I had half of my oleander bush disappear--but didn't discover it for a while. I was puzzled as I though the bush was bigger than it was but couldn't figure out how it got smaller. ), etc.

What about a real Christmas wreath off of the front door? The poinsettia off of the porch?

The perishable nature of these items--based on what you have said, makes it no big deal to steal since they will die off and rot anyway, right?

We've got someone whose property has been stolen and it is her fault that she is making a big deal out of it.

Go back and find where I said it was OK. I said I didn't think it was worth involving the police.