What would you do?

Mike in Ohio · #1 07/25/14, 06:22 PM

I came home from work today and went upstairs to change into "yard" clothes. I had taken off my nicer clothes and was in the bathroom.Someone started pounding on the kitchen door pretty hard. It took a couple minutes to finish up, throw some clothes on and get downstairs. I didn't even put shoes on before going outside. When I did get outside I saw a guy with my brand new 5 gallon diesel can.

I yelled out asking what he was doing. He waited a moment and then said he was borrowing my gas can because he had run out of gas down the road. The guy was kind of shifty in his behavior. I pointed out that it was for diesel and that he had walked past multiple no trespassing signs coming on our property. He also had to have been "looking around" before he started pounding on the door. This is at our house (not our farm) and we are an in-holding in the local forest preserves (no neighbors). If the guy ran out of gas where he claimed then he walked right past the metroparks operations center to get to our house. There are always operations folks or park rangers there and he could have asked them for assistance.

I decided to give him a ride to the nearest gas station just to get him on his way. While I was inside putting my shoes on ,getting my keys and wallet, etc., my wife showed up. The guy was very aggressively asking (almost demanding) that we loan him a gas can because he only had $7 and couldn't buy a gas can (there is a Lowes across the street from the gas station) and give him a ride back to his vehicle. I told him that he should consider himself lucky that I was giving him a ride.

I dropped him off at the gas station. When I got home, DW insisted that I should have called the police or the park rangers so they could help him.

I don't take to people demanding things under these circumstances. I might have been more helpful if his attitude had been different. He didn't even apologize or show any remorse for walking off with the fuel can.

So what would you have done?

Mike

unregistered41671 · #2 07/25/14, 06:27 PM

No matter what, you caught him in the act of stealing a gas can. I would almost bet that he would not have brought it back after using it, just by his attitude. You probably did the right thing, getting him away from your home.

ETA....I don't do well with demanding people.

Gretchen Ann · #3 07/25/14, 06:27 PM

If I would have been home alone, I would definitely called the police and never opened the door.

TeenyTinyFarm · #4 07/25/14, 06:29 PM

I would have come to the door with my shotgun, told him to drop the can and leave. Call the police and report the attempted theft. (That is what it is, IMO.) I would have NEVER gotten in my car with that person.

If I ran out of gas on the side of the road and had no phone to call my husband, I would certainly knock on someone's door and ask for help. But I would never presume that if no one answers, I could go snooping around and "borrow" what I needed without their permission. That is called stealing.

farmrbrown · #5 07/25/14, 06:50 PM

I believe I would have given him a condensed version of "How to interact socially with complete strangers".
Similar to the "Dick and Jane" primers of yesteryear.

Please don't bang on my door, introduce yourself, apologize for any inconvenience and express gratitude at any and all offers of help, assuming that everything is legitimate and the whole thing isn't a scam that B & E artists often use on trusting people.

See Sam Colt......See Dick run from Sam.
See Jane call cops.

Unless the guy is both an idiot and rude (bad combo, but not unheard of) you witnessed a "probing" of your house to determine whether or not a burglary, or worse, is on their agenda.

simi-steading · #6 07/25/14, 06:52 PM

I'm a shotgun kinda guy too... or any other appropriate shootin' stick.. I'd let them know the only time I call the police is when I need the body removed...

Seth · #7 07/25/14, 07:06 PM

He was casing your place. Very old tactic beat on the door, is the first step, if no answer then look around a bit and pick up something cheap and immediately useful (fuel can), have your car "stranded" a ways away to corroborate the story. If you get caught with the can do the ride to the store routine. If not go get the car or come back the next day around the same time for the clean out. At my house, in this exact circumstance, he'd have been lying face down spread eagle in the dirt waiting for LE to arrive.

I have had stranded people come to the house like this. It doesn't take long to gauge someone. Gut reactions are usually right. Seth

Danaus29 · #8 07/25/14, 08:12 PM

I would have driven him to the ranger office or police station.

Personally I would have gone outside armed.

bigjon · #9 07/25/14, 08:36 PM

I vote shotgun,has a real calming effect on bad folks.

K9Dave · #10 07/26/14, 07:04 AM

Get a DOG. There will always be someone home and it's cheap security.

Nothing wrong with helping but if he was rude, I would have sent him away with an ear full, a threat of what could happen if I EVER saw his face again, and about manors. A call to the authorities to make sure he knew that I wasn't to be messed with and that my kindness was not weakness.

This guy won't come back. Too much attention drawn to him now I would think.

Sorry you even have to deal with people like that.

Sent from my iPhone using Homesteading Today

haunted · #11 07/26/14, 07:30 AM

I would not have taken him anywhere. It isn't safe. The only ride he'd have gotten would have been from the Sheriff's department.
I also think he was casing the place. At this point, I'd drop by the metroparks operation center and give them a note with the description of the man and his vehicle, and ask them to call the law if they saw him out there again. I'd last call the sheriff's dept. and give them the description. If he was getting ready to steal from you, he's probably been stealing from others and they could probably use the tip. IF you have a game camera, this would be a good time to put it up at your house. He will probably be back. He may wait a few days or even weeks, but he's already had the chance to see what you have available and he will likely just wait a while and come back.

Twobottom · #12 07/26/14, 07:39 AM

I would have just said 'hold on I'll call the police to assist you". If he runs off then he was a crook, if he stays then he legitimately needs help. I definitely would not have got in the car with him, he could knife you when your hands are on the wheel. Let the police handle it, thats what we're paying them for. Let them earn it for a change. While the cop is engaged in actually doing something useful he isn't running around giving fines to hard working motorists. I put them to work every chance I get.

Scott SW Ohio · #13 07/26/14, 07:43 AM

I would have given him a gas can with some gas in it. We used to live on the state route out of town and I did this for people several times. Usually they stopped later to return the can, and/or with money for the gas. Sometimes I never saw them again.

geo in mi · #14 07/26/14, 09:02 AM

That's what a twelve gauge is for.

geo

DSBlack · #15 07/26/14, 09:51 AM

As a general rule, I would never offer assistance to an aggressive and potentially unstable individual. Call law enforcement, that's what we pay them for. I've been in several robbery situations in my life, and based on the information provided, I would agree that what transpired was a failed casing of your property; a person in need of assistance uses supplication, not intimidation. As you have personally stated, his story does not check out and the potential for escalating his trespassing & petty larceny/burglary to a more violent crime was there. Never underestimate the desperation or predilection of stupidity when it comes to strangers or in-laws

TripleD · #16 07/26/14, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geo in mi

That's what a twelve gauge is for.

geo

That almost got me killed one time. Pounding on the door and I opened it wearing a towel and holding a 9mm. Lady deputy was was pretty slow though. She had the wrong house by about 2 miles. I was mostly at fault because I refuse to put a 911 address sign up.

Nimrod · #17 07/26/14, 09:56 AM

His actions are very suspicious. He would not have taken a blue diesel fuel can for his gasoline vehicle. Most people know gas cans are red. He would not have passed up other places where he could have gotten help. He was checking your place out to see if it would be easy to rob.

I would have called the cops. They can run his name and see if he has a record. You could press charges for theft if it turns out he was casing your place. At the very least the cops would have a record of him trespassing on your place in case there was any further incidents.

Never get in a car with a stranger. You could have never been heard from again.

It's too bad we have to be suspicious of everyone.

MichaelZ · #18 07/26/14, 10:10 AM

He pounded on the door which indicates he did indeed want to borrow the can with permission if possible. Not a clear-cut case, but perhaps you could have phoned the law enforcement to help this man. Or at least phone them to let them know what was up and then inform the man that law enforcement had been informed. Cover your bases at a minimum given his somewhat pushy behavior.

He was perhaps in a panic mode and thus acting a bit aggressively. Or on drugs. Or an ax murderer. You don't know. Being out in the woods you should have your own protection - get a sidearm. I don't have one. But I don't need one as I am not that far back in the woods and I have some long guns and dogs. People that plan on robbing occupants look for people in your remote situation. That same fellow may even be back, by the way.

Riverdale · #19 07/26/14, 10:42 AM

Shoot, shovel, sht up

This person IS a theif, and should be prosecuted.

Me, I think buckshot in the behind might correct their error

JoePa · #20 07/26/14, 11:10 AM

You made a number of mistakes - first off you shouldn't have answered the door - second you should have pick up your gun and watched what this guy was up to - in all likely hood he was casing the place and would have eventually broken into your house to steal - what he did was typical - knock on the door to see if anyone is home - if someone answers the door give them some excuse - like needing gas, car broke down, information about some land etc. - if he broke into the house I would have waited and then point the gun at him and call police - if he tried to advance - I would shoot him - you got to more "street" smart - now a days you don't trust anyone - often times you make one mistake and your dead -