Monday, January 29, 2007
The Saga of the Car Stereo Master Thief: Part I
When I bought this house, I thought first of the huge back yard. It is amazing, spanning the exact length of a football field, minus the endzones. A few well placed trees provide shade, and an outbuilding, well hell, an outbuilding doesn't really DO anything, let's not gussy it up.
But second, I thought of the neighborhood. Several old people live on our block, and our street is one of two "Main Streets" in town. It is well lit, and close to a good deal of traffic. All that made me feel safe.
Anyone who watches "It Takes a Thief" (wonderful program, by the by) knows that dogs are about as good a theft deterrent as unlocked doors. But that is not why we bought a dog, nor did we expect anything from him in that regard.
And, I should point out, my car doors WERE unlocked. So I was two for two. And yes, if you have not figured it out, I got broken into. Not me, personally, for I don't live in prison. Rather, my car was broken into. Or someone got into it, as I did not lock it (see above).
And truly, I would not have known anything was amiss had my dog not barked, shrilly. It was such a pained bark I had to go see what the matter was. It was lucky I did. It was lucky he barked. I got outside in time to see the fellow in my car. Rather, he was just LEAVING my car. I ran back inside, grabbed a broomball broom, and ran back out. He was gone. More's the pity. I called the police, and to their credit, they responded very fast.
That is all the credit they will get, though. The police officer who responded didn't seem all too in to looking for a thief on foot. He shined the flashlight around a bit, and that was that.
But I was a scout. I had other ideas. It had just snowed, and I was determined to follow the trail. But it was cold, and the windchill was -40, so I had to put it to rest for the night. I assessed the damage (the stereo was not taken, but was wrecked, nothing else was taken). And I tried to go to bed.
The next day, however, would prove fruitful.
