Overnight Visitor

[toedtoes]

I thought I would share this with everyone.

The other day, I needed something out of my clipper, so I popped in to grab it. I had been doing some stuff in there a while back and so I knew I had some things out of place. However, when I walked in, I noticed some clothes lying around - they are normally in ebags packing cubes. Then I saw my gloves on the doghouse (they were in the console), and a pad of paper. There was a note. I don't have it right here, but it said something about please. Then "they want to kill it", and then something about just do it.

The handwriting was very nice and everytbing but please was spel!ed correctly.

Well, with that, I looked carefully at everything. What this person did NOT do:

Steal anything (I had a camera, telescope, mp3 player, lanterns, etc., All things that would have been worth cash or handy to have.

Do any damage. Nothing was broken, ruined, vandalized, etc.

What he did do:

Had a couple sodas (I stopped drinking them, so they were over a year old)
Ate my all-dressed chips (OK, that one made me mad)
Ate some good-n-plenties
Slept in my overhead bed.

Toilet appears unused. But for ick factor, I will wash all clothing, bedding and wipe down everything.

There was no break-in, so I must have left the door unlocked.

While I know there are folks who will harp on how horrid this is, I can honestly say I am not upset or anything. I have since locked it up and will be more careful in the future. But, this was most likely a schizophrenic and not some tweaker or lazy arse. He had a nice warm restful night, had something to eat, treated my stuff well, and left me a thank you note. 🙂

Seriously, I consider myself lucky and in the end I helped someone out.

[Jarlaxle]

4x4van wrote:

toedtoes wrote:
There was a note. I don't have it right here, but it said something about please. Then "they want to kill it", and then something about just do it.

That right there would cause me to call the police and make a report. That's not "normal" doodling; you may have been very lucky to not show up when he was there.

Or find his body on the couch.

[Jarlaxle]

toedtoes wrote:

rk911 wrote:

toedtoes wrote:

mobeewan wrote:
Should have called the police.

1. The police might already have an idea of who might have done it.
2. Just in case it was a nut case
3. They might come back.
4. Even if they didn't damage the door or lock getting in they might have picked the lock. It is still trespassing and theft of property for the items they consumed.
5. It would at least get the police to keep an eye on your rig for a while.

He was long gone by the time I saw it. The lock had not been picked. I've given more than a couple sodas and a bag of chips to homeless people. It will not get the police to keep an eye on my rig - they are busy responding to actual crimes.

not for nothing but you had an actual crime. criminal trespass at the very least, burglary at most.

Yes, there was technically a crime, but not one that the police will have much purpose in going after.

It's not that I'm blowing it off, but a criminal trespass or a theft of 2 sodas, a bag of chips and some good-n-plenties isn't worth taking the police away from the serious stuff. And if this guy were still hanging around, it'd be different.

I would call the police purely as a CYA move...in case the dude dropped some of his meth in the rig.

[toedtoes]

bukhrn wrote:
I've read a bunch of reasons to call the police (all of which I agree with), obviously toedtoes is much more forgiving than I, I was taught MANY years ago as a child, if it's not mine & I take,(or use it) I stole it, whether a stick of gum, a piece of paper, or using my RV or anything else, IT'S stealing.

.

I agree about the stealing. But think about this: you're starving and you have no money, no help, no hope. The temp is dropping and you're lost in the woods. You come across an empty cabin. Do you curl up hungry in the cold and hope you make it through the night? Or do you try the door to the cabin and hope it's unlocked and there is something edible to eat?

What this person did was just that. He made a survival decision. He didn't do any harm, he didn't break and enter. He just got out of the weather and ate something that wasn't going to risk my starvation.

I don't see it as forgiving. I see it as compassion. I see these people on the streets and I realize how easy it would be to be right there. A toss of the gene pool, a bad boss, a medical issue - any of these things could change my world. I will not condemn those who have experienced that.

I am grateful nothing was taken. I am aware of how that could have been different. But to focus on what could have happened rather than what did happen is missing an opportunity to realize that not all homeless people are evil thieving murderers waiting to kill you in your sleep. Some, most, are just people with problems and no support system.

[Walaby]

Im not a psychiatrist, and have no experience with Schizophrenics.. Im guessing you do, since you believe you see the signs.

I can sorta understand the decision after the fact not to report it, but, think about it. What if someone else nearby had the same thing happen earlier, and decided it wasn't worth it either?

I agree it doesn't rise to the level of calling 911, but if it happened to me, I'd file a report, with the desk sergeant, which shouldn't take long at all.. possibly less time than spent debating it on this thread. That way, if it is the beginning of a trend, it might help out a fellow citizen avoid similar or worse situation.

Mike

[bukhrn]

I've read a bunch of reasons to call the police (all of which I agree with), obviously toedtoes is much more forgiving than I, I was taught MANY years ago as a child, if it's not mine & I take,(or use it) I stole it, whether a stick of gum, a piece of paper, or using my RV or anything else, IT'S stealing.

[4x4van]

toedtoes wrote:

4x4van wrote:

toedtoes wrote:
There was a note. I don't have it right here, but it said something about please. Then "they want to kill it", and then something about just do it.

That right there would cause me to call the police and make a report. That's not "normal" doodling; you may have been very lucky to not show up when he was there.

That's a sign of schizophrenia. The voices are telling him things. Had it said "I want to kill it" or "they want me to kill it" I would be more concerned.

Ah yes, because schizophrenics are always perfectly articulate writers, right? :S Wow.

[toedtoes]

Dtank wrote:
Well - you've listed all the reasons NOT to report it.

Here's a few leaning the other way:

1. The PD may have other similar "overnighter" complaints with different outcomes. It may help to know where they occur.

2. Who knows if the "nice" visitor would react differently had you walked in on him (or her). Do you know if he/she was armed?
Were there other instances? - Did those have different outcomes?

3. Sometimes an insignificant report can be tied to one with more serious implications (the "more important" things you believe the PD is involved with).

Recently a nice guy allowed a homeless person to stay in his RV overnight. She wouldn't leave in the morning. Turned into a standoff with the LA (CA) PD live on local news - she finally came out after *she* torched the RV (total loss).

Sometimes nice guys finish last!

And - Good news travels fast (among the homeless):
"There's an unlocked RV parked over on River Street - even has food inside! It had all kinds of neat stuff inside which I left alone!" (which he describes).

So now - the word is out!
Your *NEXT* visitor may be hocking the items the first didn't take - even if he has to break in to get them - since he knows they are/were there!


.

1. I have checked the police calls and there have been no break-ins, thefts, etc., in the area.

2. I didn't walk in on them. I don't even know how many days had passed since he had been in the RV. The only instances in the neighborhood have been a neighborhood kid taking loose change from unlocked cars, an adult son burglarizing his mother's house, a fight that was likely over drugs, and some kids breaking into an empty house. There have been no problems with homeless other than panhandling.

3. As I have said, I routinely check the police log, I am subscribed to the police alert system, and I am aware of neighborhood goings on. There is nothing that has involved homeless, the are no murderers on the loose, there are no kids or old folks missing, etc. I'm not just ignoring a potential problem, I am just aware that this is not a sign of worse things.

This person did not "overstay his welcome". I am not in the habit of inviting people to stay in my RV. This was a fluke incident where someone happened by and my door was unlocked. He was long gone by the time I realized he had been there. I'm not going to be afraid of what might have happened when it didn't happen. This incident isn't going to convince me to turn my RV into a homeless shelter. Yes, it could have been a lot worse - I was very lucky. I know that. But that doesn't make me afraid.

I have made sure it is locked up. I have removed items of value. I do a walk around and check doors, windows, etc., every couple days to make sure everything is OK. If someone is inside, I will call the police and not confront the person.

I get all the arguments for reporting it, but it's not going to do anything more than have an officer spend time writing up a report that goes nowhere. I have done my due diligence in making sure this wasn't a sign of a bigger problem.

[Mr_Mark1]

I agree with Dtanks post above...

At first, I was thinking 'no big deal, just forget about it', then after reading all of the above posts I have to agree that I would probably report it.

It makes you wonder why someone would check unlocked RV's. The 'public' are so much different now than when my Mom and Dad spoke of people from the 1940's-1950's. Remember when you didn't lock your front door? Can you ever imagine not doing that now?

We're in a different world today,

Safe travels,
MM.

[Dtank]

Well - you've listed all the reasons NOT to report it.

Here's a few leaning the other way:

1. The PD may have other similar "overnighter" complaints with different outcomes. It may help to know where they occur.

2. Who knows if the "nice" visitor would react differently had you walked in on him (or her). Do you know if he/she was armed?
Were there other instances? - Did those have different outcomes?

3. Sometimes an insignificant report can be tied to one with more serious implications (the "more important" things you believe the PD is involved with).

Recently a nice guy allowed a homeless person to stay in his RV overnight. She wouldn't leave in the morning. Turned into a standoff with the LA (CA) PD live on local news - she finally came out after *she* torched the RV (total loss).

Sometimes nice guys finish last!

And - Good news travels fast (among the homeless):
"There's an unlocked RV parked over on River Street - even has food inside! It had all kinds of neat stuff inside which I left alone!" (which he describes).

So now - the word is out!
Your *NEXT* visitor may be hocking the items the first didn't take - even if he has to break in to get them - since he knows they are/were there!


.

[toedtoes]

Crowe wrote:
Boy, there are a lot of paranoid people on this forum

Cautious people I'd say. Calling the police just to report it is a "no harm no foul" type of action. And if later one he found something missing he can report it not only to the police but also to the insurance company. If no report is filed it's very difficult to collect.

There was nothing taken. I went through it. Not even a flashlight or lantern. Definitely not anything of real value (like the jump starter battery, camera, telescope, mp3 player). Insurance won't pay out for a couple sodas and a bag of chips.

[toedtoes]

4x4van wrote:

toedtoes wrote:
There was a note. I don't have it right here, but it said something about please. Then "they want to kill it", and then something about just do it.

That right there would cause me to call the police and make a report. That's not "normal" doodling; you may have been very lucky to not show up when he was there.

That's a sign of schizophrenia. The voices are telling him things. Had it said "I want to kill it" or "they want me to kill it" I would be more concerned.

[Crowe]

Boy, there are a lot of paranoid people on this forum

Cautious people I'd say. Calling the police just to report it is a "no harm no foul" type of action. And if later one he found something missing he can report it not only to the police but also to the insurance company. If no report is filed it's very difficult to collect.

[4x4van]

toedtoes wrote:
There was a note. I don't have it right here, but it said something about please. Then "they want to kill it", and then something about just do it.

That right there would cause me to call the police and make a report. That's not "normal" doodling; you may have been very lucky to not show up when he was there.

[toedtoes]

bukhrn wrote:

Edd505 wrote:
You may want to report to the police, it maybe related to other crimes in the area. Even if it is a schizophrenic he/she may need help winters on it's way. Last case I had like that was a teen that had been thrown out of his home. Got him sent to job corps where he had a place to sleep, a job, and eats.

Congrats for getting him in the right direction, I'm sick of hearing people these days "I can't find a job", well they are correct in one instance, if they never get off their lazy arses,and go look for one, they never will find a job, and as long people keep up with the handouts, thinking they're actually helping them, there's no incentive to go looking.

Not every person with schizophrenia can do that. Many are so messed up and the drugs turn them into zombies that they can't function in the real world. And meds don't always work.

I really feel for folks with schizophrenia - I can't imagine hearing people talking at me all the time and no way to get away from it. To me, that is the worst he11.

[Dennis12]

If you look under the bunk mattress you will see that I left you $20.00 in cash. If I would have had all amenities I would have paid the going price in your area of $40.00 per night. You didn't have to wipe everything down because not knowing you I did that before I stayed the night. By the way the Good N Plenty's were also stale but please know that I appreciated everything else. If you would have a computer there with spell checker I would not have misspelled please