When Good Neighborhoods Go Bad

I live in a very nice, well to do neighborhood. A neighborhood with million dollar plus homes. We moved here 9 years ago. We were so happy to be out of the city and so ready to start a new life out in the country. Just to get away from all the people, noise, traffic, and commotion of everyday city life was a blessing, especially for me, who grew up in the country, and one who has never liked the city. We have lived a very peaceful life here, on our small, but very enjoyable farm.

A few years ago, a casino was put in right outside our neighborhood. Soon after, our neighborhood started experiencing break-ins, mailbox vandalism and theft. I, unfortunately, was one of the mail theft victims. Someone stole my outgoing bills, tore them open, took my checks and threw out the remains onto a road, where someone picked them up and took them to the post office. I received the remains in an envelope from the post office, and was then able to quickly put a stop on my checks, alert my credit card companies and change my acct. numbers, and close my checking acct. and reopen a new one. It was a very big hassle, but I was thankful that some good person out there did the right thing and notified the post office, which in turn notified me, and I was able to prevent being an identity theft victim.

Taking a bite out of crime.......



A couple months ago, on one of my days off, I was out working with Chance. I had just come inside to eat lunch and was on the phone talking to my sister, when I happen to see a cop car drive by, very slowly, with lights on and the siren chirping every few seconds. A couple minutes later, another cop car drives by doing the same thing. Then I see a Sheriff's truck drive by with the K-9 unit in back. Hmmm.... they only bring in the K-9's for serious stuff. So I knew this had to be serious. After about 45 minutes I decided to drive through my neighborhood to see what was going on. I passed a parked cop car, and then about 6 other cop cars drove by me. I saw a man standing at the end of his driveway on his cell phone, with a couple cop cars in his driveway. So I assumed that his house had been broken into, but they don't call in the K-9 unit for a break in around here. The K-9 unit only gets called in on serious crimes. One of my neighbors had alerted my OH's mom that a kid with a backpack had broken into a neighbors house, and the cops thought it could possibly be this other fugitive, that has been on the run from the cops for months.

Don't mess with these choppers!



Two days later, on my way home from work, at a house right outside my neighborhood, there were tons of detectives, crime scene tape and a coroner's van. Oh goodness.... now what?!

If you see these eyes, you better be scared, very scared......



I found out that a dead body was found in the field at this house. It ended up being the "kid" with the backpack. But the kid was not a kid, but a 25 year old man who had a drug problem. He was also the same man that broke into our neighbors house 2 days prior. Apparently, the same day that the house was broken into, and after the cops left, the neighbor was driving around and saw the man that broke into his house. The neighbor yelled at the man to stop, then pulled out a gun, and as he says "fired a few warning shots". Well, the man was running the other direction and was hit in the back a few times. The man made it as far as the house right outside our neighborhood and died in their stream. Now this neighbor is being charged with murder. He can't use self defense, since he wasn't on his property at the time.

This oughta take care of any mad man!! Who would get within 25 feet of this mess?



Last weekend while I was at work, my OH calls me to say the cops are back in our neighborhood. My OH was just getting ready to go run errands when he saw this, so he approached the cop and asked what was going on. The cop said they were looking for an armed man that was seen jumping a fence in the area, and that the K-9's were on their way again. Oh great...... My OH was still going to leave, but my sister was here waiting for her farrier to arrive and begged him to stay. Once her farrier appt. was over, my OH took my sister to get hay. On their way out of our neighborhood, the cops had set up a road block and searched his truck and asked if anyone that shouldn't be in his truck, was in there. My OH looks at my sister and says "Well....." My poor sis. They never found the man.

She can take off at lightening speed........



I am always very cautious when home alone. I keep all doors locked and if I am outside, I have my dogs with me. I will definitely be more aware of my surroundings. My dogs are very good at noticing what shouldn't be on our property. I also think Sadie would protect me and possibly go after anyone that tried to harm me. Bailey on the other hand.....well......what can I say. He probably would lick a stranger to death, but I don't think he would protect me.

Don't worry, this one has an eye on you! And is one I definitely would not mess with!



Our homeowner's association has been talking for a couple years now about putting in an electronic gate at our entrance. We have only one way in and one way out of our neighborhood. We just received a letter today, that the association will be having an emergency meeting to discuss the gate option again. I am all for it. I don't care that it will be a small incovenience. My OH is against it. He hates inconvenience's. But you know what? I don't think a gate will prevent everything, but if it prevents just one break in, vandalism and mail theft, I say let's do it! I also don't think it will give anyone around here a false sense of security. We are all aware of the problem and I think that if anything, we all will be on the lookout even more.

So let's hope that my quiet, peaceful neighborhood goes back to being just that, quiet and peaceful. And that we have no more mad men running around. I just want things to go back to what they used to be, electronic gate and all!