Joe G Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Came home this evening from a wonderful weekend camping in northern Michigan with my gal, to find that someone had broken into my house while we were away. They made off with about 2 grand in cash, Rachel's purse, and the wedding bands belonging to my late wife and I, which I had kept in a ceramic dish on a desk. Pretty damn nerve-racking after it finally sunk in. Wasn't too hard to see where he had entered: he cut the screen on the back window and simply pushed it open. My fault for being lax and not locking the window. Taught me not to be complacent about that anymore! On the plus side, he was clearly looking for small items to carry away, and left all my guitars, amps, guitar gear and stereo equipment untouched. Also they didn't fuck with my cat (she probably hid herself away). One really weird part, and the first sign that something was amiss: he had carried a belt from my upstairs closet, as well as a bag of tealight candles from the upstairs computer room all the way downstairs, only to leave them at the back window. It made no sense at all, as these items had no value, and shouldn't have even caught his attention. Also thought it was strange that after he removed the money from the firesafe, he locked it back up, and took the key with him. Then he closed the window behind him when he left (the front door was still locked). The cop who answered the call was pretty thorough. It was kind of creepy as he was dusting for prints on the outside of the window; all of a sudden, we could see a clear handprint in the center of the window. That was smeared, however, though he said he got some good prints elsewhere. Hopefully a match will be found. Another weird thing I remembered right away was having a dream the first night we were camping. I dreamed that someone had broken into the house while I was there. The difference was that they came in through the basement window, rather than the back window. I heard them in the basement, and ran down to furiously confront them. It was a dream that left me a bit unsettled, frankly. Not as unsettling as the reality, of course. Could have been much worse, but goddam it... !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papsrus Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 (edited) Came home this evening from a wonderful weekend camping in northern Michigan with my gal, to find that someone had broken into my house while we were away. They made off with about 2 grand in cash, Rachel's purse, and the wedding bands belonging to my late wife and I, which I had kept in a ceramic dish on a desk. Pretty damn nerve-racking after it finally sunk in. Wasn't too hard to see where he had entered: he cut the screen on the back window and simply pushed it open. My fault for being lax and not locking the window. Taught me not to be complacent about that anymore! On the plus side, he was clearly looking for small items to carry away, and left all my guitars, amps, guitar gear and stereo equipment untouched. Also they didn't fuck with my cat (she probably hid herself away). One really weird part, and the first sign that something was amiss: he had carried a belt from my upstairs closet, as well as a bag of tealight candles from the upstairs computer room all the way downstairs, only to leave them at the back window. It made no sense at all, as these items had no value, and shouldn't have even caught his attention. Also thought it was strange that after he removed the money from the firesafe, he locked it back up, and took the key with him. Then he closed the window behind him when he left (the front door was still locked). The cop who answered the call was pretty thorough. It was kind of creepy as he was dusting for prints on the outside of the window; all of a sudden, we could see a clear handprint in the center of the window. That was smeared, however, though he said he got some good prints elsewhere. Hopefully a match will be found. Another weird thing I remembered right away was having a dream the first night we were camping. I dreamed that someone had broken into the house while I was there. The difference was that they came in through the basement window, rather than the back window. I heard them in the basement, and ran down to furiously confront them. It was a dream that left me a bit unsettled, frankly. Not as unsettling as the reality, of course. Could have been much worse, but goddam it... !!! The cops probably have the guy's prints on record. Hopefully you'll recover your wedding bands and the other stuff. You might want to contact some pawn shops. I'm sure a thief would try to unload those asap. Not cool. Sorry to hear it. Edited October 16, 2007 by papsrus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free For All Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 FUCK, Joe! I'm so sorry. Shit like this just shouldn't happen to people. "Stuff" can be replaced, and I'm glad you and Rachel are safe, but I know this hurts. It's a violation of your space and loss of important personal items that probably aren't of much value to the fucking scum who took them. Sometimes this world is a very disappointing place. But you also get to choose what brings you down, and while this experience is a big fucking drag (I really don't "get" people sometimes) I have faith that you shall persevere. I can't imagine the feeling you must have had as you realized what had happened....... Are you out in the boonies? Any neighbors close by who might have seen anyone? All the best to you and Rachel. You shall overcome, my friend! I'm so sorry.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted October 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 I am in town, though my neighbors are pretty spread out, and the house right next door has been vacant for a year (I was on friendly terms with the couple that lived there, but they lost the house, unfortunately). It is a farmhouse, oddly enough, and there's lot of "empty" space behind me for someone to do just what clem has heard about. Yeah, I'm over the nerves and all, and will be getting on. Just had to vent, though - thank you all for the well wishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejp626 Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 I am sorry to hear that. We had a break-in off the fire escape once. We got fairly lucky, just some minor jewelry stolen, though it sucked of course and we needed to get this huge ass metal grate for the window. Then the downstairs neighbors had a break-in with more stuff stolen. Definitely the worst though was getting mugged (yes, with a gun). In none of these cases were the cops any use whatsoever. I have moved to a different part of the city, but often think it is just a matter of time before it happens again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted October 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Definitely the worst though was getting mugged (yes, with a gun). In none of these cases were the cops any use whatsoever. That's what I mean about "it could have been worse." That would be considerably more unsettling to me than a break-in while away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connoisseur series500 Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Sorry to hear the news, Joe. I had my car broken into once and I felt violated in some way. I bet you probably felt that way as well. I hope they catch the perpetrator(s). I also hope the cops put some time into the case. Damn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alocispepraluger102 Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 so sorry, Joe. i hope you get it all back and get to see someone locked up. hopefully, your insurance will come through Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 I'm sorry to hear about this Joe. I guess the lesson is to not allow oneself to become too attached to material possessions. I'm glad that neither you nor anyone you loved was harmed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 What a drag - sorry to hear this news and hope it gets sorted out OK with the insurance. That's really odd though about the dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Tough! Real tough! Good thing: there was no physical damage. Next lesson: large sums of money don't belong at home but at banks. That's really what banks were made for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcy62 Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Sorry to hear that, Joe. It happend to me once when I was a student. The worst thing in case like this, a part money and damage, is that I felt my space "violated", a sort of psychological harm, that was really unpleasant. My best wishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Sorry to hear that, Joe, and relieved at the same time they didn't touch your instruments and equipment. Take care! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Sorry to hear your news, Joe. Hope your insurance covers you. At least you're both all right. MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 My car was broken into when I lived in Dallas...they ended up doing about $900 damage to windows and the dash. They tried to steal the stereo and couldn't even get the stupid thing out! I think that made it worse...all that damage and the only thing they actually stole was a pair of $12.00 sunglasses. The cops "investigated", dusted for prints and then I got a letter about 2 months later that no prints were found and the case had been closed. I'm glad they didn't get anything of real value or do major damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalupa Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Sorry to hear that, Joe. It happend to me once when I was a student. The worst thing in case like this, a part money and damage, is that I felt my space "violated", a sort of psychological harm, that was really unpleasant. My best wishes. Same thing happened to me when I was in college. And like Porcy says the feeling of being violated was worse than losing all of my stuff. That was something that I could never get over in that apartment. I finally had to move two months later. I would recommend getting an alarm system. I have ADT. It costs $40 a month but considering the peace of mind it provides it's worth it. Oh and we also have two killer Beagles that bark at any sound with in a 1/4 mile radius of our house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Sorry to hear this Joe, burglary is a terrible experience. Takes a lot of getting over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 (edited) hey Joe - 1) Was gonna ask if you need help replacing anything music or instrument-related, like tubes, etc etc (maybe you're a solid-state guy) - looks like they didn't take much in that area, but feel free to ask - (unless I'm more senile than I think I am, you're a guitar player) - 2) when I lived in New Haven we had a break in - after which I found a cheap method of security; alarm systems are expensive if you get the kind that are wired into the cops; HOWEVER, if you get one that is simply an alarm wired into a window or door, and get a HUGE bell that rings both inside and outside, usually the sound will scare them off, as they don't really know if the cops are coming or if the neighbors are calling the cops - this worked for us; we had one break in; on the second, after buying a fairly inexpensive nois-maker, the loud alarm brought the neighbors running and the guy ran off, dropped my saxophone (thank god) in the back yard and ran off with nothing - if you get something like this, avoid the motion sensor, as the cat will set it off every 20 seconds, no matter what the alarm guy tells you - simply get something wired to doors and windows - not 100% foolproof, but it worked for me - as for prints and finding the guy I wouldn't be too optimistic - for the cops, that's too much like actual work - Edited October 16, 2007 by AllenLowe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christiern Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Very sorry to hear that, Joe. I have suffered the same violation and, quite apart from missing property, it is the very act that pains the most. Material thing? Well some--like your wedding bands--go beyond that designation, and I have also suffered that kind of loss. I hope they catch the bastard and that you at least recover the irreplaceables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoGrubb Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Sorry you got robbed, and violated. I've been there myself. At least your cops made an effort, mine didn't , and lied about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sal Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 I am sorry to hear this. Like many othershere, its happened to me, and it really sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niko Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 sorry to hear this! i had a very strange robbery earlier this year, i came home my neighbors were already standing in front of the house saying that someone had broken into our basements and that i should have a look whether anything was missing; at first sight is was clear nothing was missing, neither my bicycle nor the empty cardboard boxes, instead there was a lot of new stuff, an empty box of beer bottles, a full bottle of "booze" (Apfelkorn), an empty travelling bag with some childrens clothes in it more childrens clothes spread over the floor and then some drops of blood on the children's clothes and on the floor... i was REALLY scared at that point (partly because our elderly neighbors are somewhat suspicious about us, don't really know why, probably because we don't go to bed at nine)... turned out all the stuff had been brought there from other people's basements and the drops of blood were as the policemen said the typical remainders of someone shooting heroin or whatever, the children's clothes were stuff one of the neighbors had been collecting to bring them to africa... but i still don't get what had been ging on there, as it turned out, all that must have happened within at most one hour... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Wow. I hope you get your stuff back. I had a laser printer ripped off from my apt. once. They just took what they could carry. I never got it back, but it turned out that someone had a copy of a pass key to all the apts. They left guitars, synths, computers behind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted October 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Looks like it's as much "welcome to the club" as anything, sadly. I'm really not that attached to "stuff", but obviously nobody wants people breaking in to take it. I think the worst part for me was seeing Rachel that upset. I will be tightening up a few things around here, security-wise. Also, I live on a busy street, and it always bothered me when leaving on a trip to be carrying a suitcase out the front door in plain sight of everyone. I think I'll be taking a more stealth approach in the future by backing the car up to the attached garage and going out the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Damn, sorry to hear it Joe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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