What's legal to defend your house/belongings?

[Chad_A]

No big deal, buf fucking frustrating...we just planted lots of $$$ worth of plants in our front yard, and people are stealing them.

 

We're planning on moving the remaining ones away, but I doubt that the cops will help. Just doesn't seem like it'd be a priority to them.

 

Ideas? I might shine a worklight on the area to help deter it at night, but what lengths are legal to catch someone in the act? I'd love to threaten someone with physical harm, but that probably wouldn't go over too well.

[murraysovereign]

If you were in Texas, you'd be able to shoot dead on sight anyone coming anywhere near your property, especially if you can prove they were walking away at the time of the shooting. But you're in the Northwest, so you'll be governed by all kinds of pussy liberal bleeding-heart laws that say you can't hardly shoot anyone for anything - not even for fun. Maybe you could get some action if you could produce photos of Spotted Owls nesting in the plants - other than that I think you're S.O.L.

[whidbey]

Chad... I would go with some motion sensor lighting. Might be enough to send them running. Just a thought.

[RogerJ]

I'd plant poison oak. Just don't let my dog run through it.

 

Seriously Chad, that blows. I motion sensor lights would help. Outside of a fence... hmmm

 

-r

[ashw_justin]

Can you get them on video? Or do they have a right to privacy while trespassing/stealing?

[foraker]

Put some nice shrubbery in the middle and Bob's your uncle.

[foraker]

http://www.smartwater.com/products/antiIntruder.html

[cj001f]

DeFacto:

[spicoli11]

Devils Club!!!!!!!!!!!!! From the hand that smacks 'em good!!!!!!!!

[Chad_A]

Thanks, all. It's not so much that it's plants (well, to the girlfriend it's a big issue; family bought her the plants as presents) it's the question...what are they going to steal next? Break into my car? Steal my garden hose? What???

 

Security lighting looks to be on the roster. Devil's Club is a great idea! I recently discovered some big stalks of it on the Nesmith Point trail here in the Gorge...might have to bring some home and plant it right out front.

[slothrop]

It might be a good idea to make a police report of any thefts so you can establish a record of them. That way, when you lasso and hogtie the thieves next time after waiting up all night with your night-vision goggles on, the cops will believe you.

 

Video's not a bad idea, either. Get a couple webcams.

 

If you go the Axis of Evil ballistic missile route, I'd recommend against the "No Dong B" model. Just not intimidating enough.

[DirtyHarry]

You can use force to defend your property but only enough force than is reasonable to do so, and you can never use deadly force to defend just property. So, essentially, if you caught someone in the act you could go up to them and pry the plants from their hands but you couldn't beat them to a bloody pulp with the adze of your black prophet - unfortunately.

[minx]

You can use force to defend your property but only enough force than is reasonable to do so, and you can never use deadly force to defend just property. So, essentially, if you caught someone in the act you could go up to them and pry the plants from their hands but you couldn't beat them to a bloody pulp with the adze of your black prophet - unfortunately.

 

great--just friggin great....there's the law again, just sucking all the fun out of things as usual.

[DirtyHarry]

Of course if the perpetrator is dead, they can't exactly testify that they weren't trying to attack you when you wolluped them in the head with that minature baseball bat you got at Mariner's Kid's Night at the King Dome that night Harold Reynold's hit a grand slam against the Brewer's.

[rbw1966]

Another vote for motion sensor lighting. Where do you live that people steal plants from you?

 

There was a recent article in the Oregonian about two citizens who busted a guy who was dumping garbage in NW Portland over by Gunderson (right near the waste transfer station). They followed the guy, called the cops and the cops ticketed him when he came out of the restaurant he was in. I think the key is to create a paper trail by calling the cops NOW so they have it on record.

 

You can't use deadly force to defend your property but you can use deadly force if you are "in imminent danger of bodily harm."

 

"I thought he was going to beat me with that Rhodie officer so I shot him."

[DirtyHarry]

reasonable belief you were in imminent danger of bodily harm

[chipmunk]

Chad - I can loan you Petzl and Krabi...their barks are enough to make any unsuspecting person piss themselves at the very least.

[sobo]

More votes for slothrop's and rbw's mention of starting the paper trail at the local PD.

Another vote for motion sensor lighting, although foraker's SmartWater "criminal tie-dye" idea looks like it has possibilities...

Any thoughts on getting a big-ass Rottwieller? EDIT: chipmunk beat me to it. I type too slow...

 

And DH has it right: reasonable belief of imminent danger of bodily harm

[slothrop]

To get the cops to send a car when you catch them in the act, can you tell the 911 operator that you shot the thieves? Or is that some kind of crime itself, like "disruption of donut break"?

[olyclimber]

Draconians are created through the use of a mold that grows on a race of dwarves on the continent of Ansalon. The mold is put onto dragon eggs; three draconians come out per egg. The first eggs to have this done were bronze dragon eggs.

 

Draconians were created to serve as specialists or shock troops in the Dark Queen's army. They were supposed to be more predictable than humans, and more tractable than ogres or goblins. Even though both male and female Draconians were created at the same time, the existence of the females were concealed.

 

Draconians are the result of evil magic. Dracart, Wyrllish, and Harkiel were the three that performed the corruption ritual on the eggs. The ceremony corrupted the embryo.

 

There are many types of draconians, depending on which type of metallic dragon egg they were corrupted from. Baaz were created from brass dragon eggs, Bozaks from bronze, Kapaks from copper, Sivaks from silver, and Auraks from gold. Draconians are reptilian creatures which have small wings on their backs which can be used for gliding. Also, fighting them is difficult due to their large size as well as death weapons. Once they die, draconians can either turn to stone and usually burying their victim, turn into giant pools of acid which can choke as well as burn, or their bones can explode creating a small crater.

 

Until the Chaos war, the world had believed that draconians were sexless. Dracart knew that female dragon eggs created female draconians, and male eggs male draconians. Even though the draconians were loyal to Takhsis and her priests now, Dracart feared that in the future they might rebel. He wanted to destroy all female metallic dragon eggs, but Takhsis forbade it. She decreed that the eggs containing females were to be hidden in a different location, and were not allowed to hatch.

 

When the Whitestone Forces mounted a serious opposition, Takhsis decided that she needed a more efficient method of creating draconians. Therefore, Dracart created the Heart of Dracart. The Heart creates hundreds of new draconians from an existing one, essentially taking the soul and splitting it up. The original draconian dies. The copies are not as smart, powerful, or long-lived, but are docile, obedient, and able to fight. Dracart never got to use his artifact. The Heart of Dracart was stolen by Maranta, an aurak. He wanted to destroy the artifact, but as time passed, their race began to become endangered. He hoped that the remaining draconians would gather under his leadership, and that he could continue their species through the Heart of Dracart, making him the savior of his species.

 

Meanwhile, Kang, a Bozak discovered the female dragon eggs and allowed them to hatch. Twenty females emerged, one Aurak, two Sivaks, three Bozaks, four Kapaks, and ten Baaz. Kang discovered some of the females special abilities; female Kapaks's spit has healing properties instead of being poisonm, etc.Kang and his draconians sought a place to call home, where they could live in peace. Eventually, Kang and Maranta clashed, ending with Kang killing Maranta.

 

After that, Kang led his draconians and Maranta's former draconians to Teyr, an abandoned Dwarven city, now the capital of a free draconian nation.

[DirtyHarry]

Oly, who owns more 20-sided dice - you or Dru?

[fenderfour]

Oly, who owns more 20-sided dice - you or Dru?

 

Dorks can smell their own kind.

[foraker]

Another thing is to drive around your neighborhood a bit. You might be surprised to find your plants in some neighbors yard a few blocks away, especially if there is a new house or housing development going up. It wouldn't be the first time I've seen/read about that happening.

[gosolo]

Do your plants look like this?

 

My bro used to live in Denver. One night he heard a crash and went down to the front door to see a hand reaching through the broken glass trying to reach the knob. He fired at least three shots with his trusty .357. The cops told him off the record, "too bad you didnt get him. That'd be one less a-hole we'd have to deal with..."

Edited August 4, 2006 by gosolo

[RogerJ]

Chad,

 

I dropped that CD off at your place. I got all paranoid that I was beign filmed or watched by the police!

 

-r