TG has been stomping around the house for the last several
weeks in a barely contained rage. Two weeks ago, while on vacation in NC,
TG’s house was burgled. The same thing happened almost exactly a year ago. TG
blogged about this last crime here, and here. This time the household really got slammed. The thieves came into the fenced-in
backyard, found a ladder TG stupidly stored outdoors, climbed up on a low porch
roof and were able to break a lock on a window and roam around the house stuffing
what they wanted into black trash bags. The neighbors saw an unusual car
(smallish square gold-colored SUV parked in the driveway, but they though this
was the cat sitter) that remained there for an hour and a half or so. You can
see they had plenty of time to take what they wanted.
They tore
through all the drawers of clothing, throwing stuff onto the floor. They
ransacked TG’s wife’s jewelry. They got several computers,
three cameras, a game system and assorted fancy bags to carry the loot in, and
once again, just like last year, they got an antique stoneware jar with all of
TG’s money that he intended to take to the beach for his writer’s retreat.
After they
left with the swag, they attempted to steal TG’s car, succeeding only in
breaking an old key off in the lock, jimmying the door and screwing up the
ignition lock. One has to wonder why the car alarm didn’t go off and if, and TG
suspects this is the case, the alarm did
go off, why didn't anyone pay any attention?
The chief
and only clue was that TG found his house key on an old Verizon lanyard
obviously dropped by the thieves onto the roof when they were going down the
ladder. This, and other indications, makes TG think that this is the same guy
who robbed him last year, having made a copy of the key that the neighbors had and
kept it for a year.
The police
response has been pathetic. When called, four officers roared up in separate
cars, and, guns drawn, stormed through the house and declared the theft an “inside
job” because there were no signs of forced entry. Unfortunately they missed the
fact that the upstairs window was wide open, the screen cut out and the broken
lock was lying on the floor. Morons. The detective, who was the same guy who
investigated last year, took the details over the phone and has yet to show
up or even return TG's calls. The second cop who came when TG insisted that they
take fingerprints informed us that all thieves wore gloves these days and it
would be a waste of time, though he grudgingly did a bit of fingerprinting. Enough to screw up the rugs. He refused to do the
outside windowsill because he wasn’t going to climb a ladder.
Those of
you who are suggesting that we should put in an alarm system, we already did
that after last year's incursion. It secured the first floor, and they got around
it by going in a second floor window. We now have motion detectors on the
second floor.
So,
essentially, TG’s house has become an ATM for this kid and his pals. Whenever
they feel the need for some spare cash they can roll up when we’re not at home,
smash in the sliding glass doors, (that’s what they did to the neighbors)
knowing that they have an easy ten to fifteen minutes from the time the alarm
goes off and the cops show up. We now know that the neighbors don’t hear alarms
or at least don’t respond when they do.
Mrs. TG has now relented on the issue of keeping firearms in
the house. Of course they do no good if no one is here to shoot the burglars
when they come in. But TG is going to rearm himself anyway. All the heavy-duty
weapons that are in storage are a bit too destructive under the circumstances;
the Rocket Propelled Grenades brought back from Afghanistan are going to do
serious damage to the infrastructure if TG fires one of those babies off. TG is
looking into something a bity smaller and more portable.
So all the work involving security changes and insurance
details is pretty much done, which leaves touring the area pawnshops and trying
to convince the Prince Georgia’s County, Maryland, police that they should be doing
their jobs. Which means that TG can get back to blogging about the state of
Thrillers, novel-writing and book publishing in general. Look for updates on
this crime. TG let it slide the last time it happened. Not this time.
