Sorta's On going Neighborhood Saga

OK, I know I've been lax in not reporting all that happens around here, but I've been saving all the good stuff for a grand posting.

Empty house across is for sale for about a month now. Realtor seems nice and asked me to keep an eye on the house (he heard about the break-ins) and gave me his number to call if anything happened. I am resisting that each day.

LOTS of stuff has happened. Hazmat finally arrived with 3 guys and then a group of 5 people I don't remember seeing (but I might have) were there in a van and they waited for a realtor gal to open the gate with a key and SHE left immediately. Guess it wasn't a showing.

The Snake also arrived and stood by doing nothing. Hazmat spent almost 2 hours in the house and took out 2 buckets of 'mercury and...'. All done on that. Caution tape still up on 2 doors, and broken and hanging on the entry door along with the 'notice' they first put up there. Dunno if the house is cleared for entry, but I think they would have redone the caution tape if not.

5 group left first, followed by Snake who locked the gate, and then Hazmat left 15 minutes later. No activity of showing since Friday.

THEN yesterday, 3 men in the driveway (2 cars around corner) looking at the house but had no key. One looked like a realtor and was on his phone. This was at 5 pm so we figure maybe the 'listing agent' will be by today to let them see the place.

BUT last night at 7:45 pm, 'The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street' Saga played out for all to see. Was fun. If you remember the old short story or the Twilight Zone episode it was just like that. Started with ONE flashlight seen coming down the side street which then disappeared. I looked out door to see one, then two , then 3 then finally about FIFTEEN neighbors surrounding the old house with flashlights and cell phones and lots of running and 'hunting'.

Turns out, that the SAME guy who called me the 'neighborhood cop' had seen 2 guys running out of the yard and another neighbor saw one running by her house up the street. So the cell phone guy called cops, who advised him to stay put, monitor all sides of the house and they would respond just in case someone was still inside.

Well 20 minutes later, FIVE police cars arrived. Now remember, the last time this happened it was ME who called the police about someone inside and they basically called me a nut case, so I never called them again.

So I go next door to my partner in crime, 83 year old neighbor lady's house (her phone was off the hook) to check on her and we decide to sit on her porch steps and watch the 'fun'. I told her to tackle me if I made any attempt to get involved in this latest fiasco, even though they were asking for contact info and other things I KNEW. I refused to be humiliated again.

So the best part is that KARMA WORKS! The hoard of police walked around the yard for 15 minutes, never attempted to enter the house or garage, refused to look at or take what the reporting guy said were 'bags of stuff ready to take' and then left without doing any report. Ha! Karma sure is fun. Now all of the neighbors can feel the way I did when the police refused to believe ME.

So after all the shouting, the 'monsters' went back to their normal night's activities. THEN this morning, we went walking to see if we could see anything amiss, or those 'bags' they referred to. No bags seen BUT we found a envelope outside the fence (wasn't there earlier) with a receipt for jewelry and watch parts. The old guy did that type of work. I took it home. That meant someone had been inside taking things.

THEN we saw that the iron bars on the back of the garage (which had been pulled aside a few weeks back and fixed by the 'caretaker' guy), were GONE. Yup, just gone, maybe on ground, but not on the large sliding window and there is no lock on that window.

Sooooo we come home, are standing at the top of my driveway when lo and behold, TWO tall males about 20ish, wearing hoodies, come casually walking out of the empty house's yard and hopped the fence into the street! I stood there and asked my friend if I should do something, follow them or? He said nope, don't get involved.

Well, last night's report of TWO guys and then TWO guys leaving the yard today got to me, so I looked and they crossed the street and QUICKLY turned into a yard two houses down. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I saw the neighbor lady (whose hubby hates me for smoe reason and I've been purposely avoiding since July) in the yard and told her about the 2 guys, etc. Her hubby walked around there but the guys were gone and we don't know where they went. I should have followed my first instinct and walked after them to see where they went.

Anyway, I swallowed my pride, actually talked to the neighbor lady, told her I was NOT going to call the police, but did see the two guys, etc. Then I went home, got the Realtor's card and walked over and gave it to her to either call or give to the guy who called the police last night. At least I did my part.

I have trouble just 'standing by' when I see something happening, but I am not gonna get involved in this one other than 'helping'. Told her to tell Realtor about the MISSING bars, etc. Hope she or the other guy do something.

Tired of all the stuff going on and will be thrilled when that place is cleared out and sold. Arrraaaghhhhh!

Never dull in SortaLand.

But, whatever will you do then for entertainment!

I invite all of you over to sit on my porch and watch the neighborhood fun. It would give me a much needed break.

Still, at least ONE good thing came of it. I made contact with the neighbors who have been shunning me for a long time. Dunno if this will 'fix' whatever they imagined I did wrong, but at least it was an effort to reconnect in some little way. I'm not the bad guy. Nope not me.

Oh, I'd be the first one on your porch with a bowl of popcorn and a cold beer to watch the shenanigans!

Did you say 2 buckets of mercury? Where does one get 2 buckets of Mercury and for what?

Yup, I actually said two buckets. One was a GALLON of Mercury that the guy used in his watch repair business and who knows what else he did. The other bucket was for the sulfur and rags and stuff used to clean up any spill and wipe the area clean. T

hose guys were thorough. I read all about how they clean spills. They 'suited up' in full hazard gear (no helmet, but a mask) and put all that in plastic baggies after exiting. Was a very professional job. They said just a tiny bit of Mercury in an enclosed area is very very dangerous.

That house is nailed tight on all windows and most all doors. Icky place, humid, dusty, dirty, falling apart, peeling wallpaper, crumbling carpet and linoleum, no working plumbing, paint falling off walls, piles of 'stuff' 6 feet high in some spots and a 1 foot path through to the bathroom and living room. All else was nailed shut doors on 3 bedrooms. The guy lived on 1/3 of his couch which was piled high on the other 2/3 with more stuff.

Last time I was in there, I tripped over something, slipped and was going to use my hand on the fridge to catch myself UNTIL I saw, in a split second, that the fridge was coated with some unidentifiable brown stuff. Yikes! Fell sideways and barely caught the door jamb to keep from going all the way to the floor (which of course you couldn't see).

Horrible conditions, feel sorry for the guy. He is a grouchy old man, hated anyone bothering him, kept to himself. Nobody got into that house or even onto the property (he chained the front and back gates. No way in except to hop the fence. Sad, very sad.

Now he languishes in a nursing home where he gets good care but his brain injury and now dementia is really affecting him. Hard not to feel sorry for a guy who nobody loves. Never married, no girl friends, and his BEST friend (the caretaker) who he knew for 25 years has been scared away by that awful Snake guy. Friend is afraid even to be around the house to protect it like he was doing, but he still visits the guy and says the guy is happy to see him. Perks up and tells him he's his best friend, etc. Sigh. Sad sad.

And I get to be involved simply because I am a neighbor and seem to have every strange happening dropped at my doorstep whether I want it or not. Such is life. Somebody's gotta do it...right?

Sorta to much going on to keep track. New owners could mean more drama across the street!

Oh Gerry! You had to go and mention MORE drama. Hope you aren't psychic!

I'll just be glad when the place is sold, all the hoard is cleaned out and we stop having neighbors and police running helter skelter all over the place. Last night two guys with flashlights were 'patrolling' about 9:30 pm. Dunno what they expected to see. The looked at the house windows which all have bars. It's the GARAGE that keeps getting broken into.

Nobody listens to me so I'm doing the least I can to 'help' now. Tried yesterday by giving the neighbors the Realtor's card, but I suspect they won't do anything with it. Took a lot of courage on my part since they have been shunning me since early July. I'm going back to 'go ahead and shun me mode' now that I've done what I could.

Never boring around here. Never dull. Sorta's Neighborhood, an exciting place to visit.

Always a merry tale of mayhem from our Double Oh Sorta. I also can't imagine you doing anything to upset your neighbors. People can get some odd ideas over nothing, it would seem.

Well, yesterday afternoon, the two 'flashlight patrol' guys surprised us all by trimming back a huge Brazilian Pepper tree that grows at the corner of the empty house's lot. It was well overgrown for years with mega 'suckers' at the base so it obscured the street, the house next door, and made a perfect place for the bad guys to hide.

So there they were with chain saws and ladders and hand saws, etc., and did a very nice job of trimming it up from the ground so now we can see all the way down that street and no more hiding places. How nice is that?

Funny thing is, the guy who is 'patrolling' and finally doing something to HELP the neighborhood, is the SAME guy who has been shooting off fireworks for years and years along with his kids and grand kids now. He promised never to do it again about 5 years ago, but never stopped. I and several neighbors confronted him when he set off a huge volley in the intersection. I think the promise was made while he was well sloshed on beer.

AND he is the very same guy who had local police calls on an 'Ap' on his cell phone that night at the fire down the street and called ME 'the neighborhood cop'. Uhhuh.

So WHO is the neighborhood cop now, huh? Seems to be him. Ahhh the joy of it all. He is now feeling the angst of stuff happening and calling the police and having absolutely nothing done by them. Love it. Maybe he will become a better person for it.

Oh and the tree they trimmed? His aged mother lives right next door and she had petitioned the city several times to do something about the overgrowth (which was well into her yard too) and they never did. So now the new neighborhood cop is finally getting some work done. I am totally grinning from ear to ear. My job is over. I can sit back and let someone else feel the frustration.

Of course IF he should ever ask for MY help on anything, I'd give him everything he needed in an instant. I know so much about 'things' from dealing with it all over the years. Just ask me, Mr. Firework Man. I'm here to advise you.

Feel the POWER, Sorta!

POLICE! Well the neighborhood never disappoints. After a slight lull in activity, my neighbor and partner in crime called to advise me that a police car was parked in front of my house. Hummmm.

I watched and then another car drove up, the another and finally another. So now I had 3 cars in front of my house and one across the street directly in front of the Infamous Apartments which have been fairly calm for a few months.

Two if the police cars had female 'officers' of some type in them. Each car had 2 people so there were 8 law enforcement types in all who all went into the Apartments. The two females, looked like maybe they were in 'jail' uniforms. Different from the regular police, but with badges and belts with hand cuffs but no guns.

Each female had 'paperwork' in hand. After 15 minutes, one car with the first female left. Then another car left. Finally the second car with a female (whose paperwork was a large size packet) brought out I think, our local drunk lady. Pretty sure it was her. Wearing the same outfit as this morning and shaved head. (She does that every summer). She was handcuffed behind the back and put into the back of the police car and off they went, but not to the local police station/jail, but in the other direction (which would be the women's jail about 20 miles away.

Have no idea why or what she did, but I suspect they had a warrant for her for drug sales (she gets pain pills and sells them). She told me this herself. Uhhuh.

Now we wait to see if she comes home tonight or tomorrow and if I can find her name on the jail site. It will list the charges if I can.

Everything happens here. Sometimes I think I am in an adventure/action film. No dull moments for me.

Be safe and keep your distance Sorta!

So I got a call last night at 10:30 pm. Gah! It was the 'caretaker' asking about if I saw 2 guys get arrested at the old man's house two days ago. Seems he got a call and the 'channels' said there were arrests. Well, I checked up on my 'notes' and there were no arrests and the break in was 4 nights ago. I think we are all playing the old 'telephone' game and the messages get more interesting with each person's transfer.

So I assured caretaker that nobody was arrested, and that the police didn't do a darn thing (again), but that I'd given the Realtor's phone number to one of the people who called the cops.

THEN TODAY: HAZMAT showed up again. My good old friend Brad was there with MORE caution 'do not enter' tape. He hopped the fence and barricaded the back door again, put MORE tape around all doors and entry points along with MORE notices to not enter, etc.

I managed to get my shoes on and get across the street to see what he was doing, and here's the NEW info.

They tested the stuff they took (mercury) and some other suspicious items. Turns out that it was a lot of mercury and they found other things it had spilled on. THEN they also got concerned about the clock collection. A load of it has RADIUM dials.

He and his crew collected 36 clocks (out of hundreds) and put them in a pile and tested the radioactivity coming from them when in close proximity. Turns out it's dangerous levels.

So he finally got in touch with the niece who is handling the sale of the house, etc., and she was again 'unconcerned'. She told him that the Uncle was 'a private person who wouldn't like strangers going through his things' and she would not give Hazmat any consent to re-enter to do the further testing.

Soooooo here's what is going to be happening. House is locked up tight. Tape and notices all over that say, "NO entry, do not go in for any reason" AND "Do NOT remove anything from inside or around the property: All under penalty of law, etc. Wow!

So then I asked how long it would take for the other THREE teams of experts to come in IF they get the OK and do what needs to be done to make it safe. I said weeks? AND he said MONTHS! This place is going to sit like it is without anyone entering or taking things out for months. Wowee!

That niece better get her act in gear if she wants to sell the contents and house. OH and the people there last weekend with Hazmat and the Snake were ESTATE buyers. They were there to make an offer on the contents AND they are working WITH the Snake! I'm sure he gets a 'cut' of what they liberate.

Amazing how much you can find out when chatting with Hazmat.

OH and the burglary? I asked Brad (Hazmat) to check on the back of the garage (which is now taped and posted) if he sees the bars that go on the back window. He looked and said the bars are on the ground and the window is WIDE OPEN. Guess we had more 'shoppers' in the last few nights.

So He rummaged around and found the bolts for the bars, got out his tools and secured them back in place AND under my direction, HE will OFFICIALLY call the police and make sure they know about the Hazardous conditions AND that there are indeed people going in and taking things AND get them to do something about securing the garage, etc. Whew. Coming from an official of the Hazmat, that should do the trick.

Crossing fingers we are in for a calm few months, but I doubt it. I again was told to CALL immediately if anyone goes in or takes anything out. Guess I'm still The Neighborhood Cop. Darn.

Never dull in SortaLand.

Such bizarre happenings Sorta!

And so it continues:

I've been checking the yard most mornings on my walk. In the past week, the 'area' has had activity 4 of 6 days that I've checked.

First was some rags or bedding outside the garage back window (the one the Hazmat guy put the bars back on). Then an old oil lamp showed up sitting on the block wall. 2 days later (sometime last night) the oil lamp disappeared and we found 'items' at the spot on the fence they always jump over.

Found an empty clear plastic ladies ring box outside the fence near the sidewalk, found a small handy 'nail puller' bar that construction workers use to remove windows and such. Found a wooden finial from either a piece of furniture or an old wooden clock AND found parts of a cardboard box which I'm guessing they carried stuff in and the box broke and that's when things scattered inside and outside the fence. Also found lots of plastic empty clear bags that probably had stuff in them scattered all over the back yard. These guys are having a shopping spree with no intervention.

Now my problem is: Should I just ignore it all? I think it's my best idea. Neither the police nor the guy's niece (who I figure has power of attorney) care about what's going on. If I call the Realtor (he asked me to keep watch) HE will probably not do anything because he can't show the place with the Hazmat tape all over.

If I tell the old 'caretaker' he will probably try to fix things and get arrested by accident because nobody knows who is breaking in and stealing things.

If I call the police, they will come, look around, tell me nobody is in charge to call and they won't know if anything is missing and then insinuate that I'm not in control of my faculties.

All I know is someone (probably those 2 guys I saw hopping the fence and running into a yard across the street) is breaking in nightly and doing their 'shopping'. Things are disappearing. The things they dropped will probably be gone tomorrow morning (it's happened that way in the past).

So I'm biting my tongue. It's getting very very sore. Can't do anything to help without being told that nothing can be done without someone being in 'charge' and the 'in charge' person lives in South Carolina and has no intention of doing anything.

My worry is that these guys won't stop at empty houses but will break into anything they think they can. Not a good feeling. I'm almost certain that they live in a trailer in the 'tow yard' across the street. Makes a lot of sense since people were home that day I saw them run across into that yard and nobody seemed concerned that 2 guys just ran by them. Hummmmm.

Arrraaaghhh!

Look at it this way Sorta. The people doing this are clearly crooks and karma has a way of catching up to people. If it is a hazardous environment then they will get their due.

It doesn't sound good Sorta. Ana is right sooner or later they will get their due!

Maybe you should get a neon colored posterboard and write down the results of mercury poisoning and then finish with a dire warning - something like "If you have breathed vapors in this house or touched anything inside, you need to see a doctor immediately or you might DIE" and then post it by their main access point. The thieves probably can't read, but what the heck, it's worth a try. They are probably too stupid to know that HAZMAT means Hazardous Materials.

Loving your comments all! I especially like the huge sign about Hazmat. Ha. I'm so anxious to see what goodies they have 'dropped' today when I go for my walk. Always something new. You would think the people right next door, with windows facing the yard, would see SOMETHING!

It's an older couple, but the guy next to them is the one who called in the police on the last break-in and the one who trimmed the tree back so the house and yard could be seen better. All that did was give the fence jumpers a clearer path to hopping over it. So funny.

I'm almost certain the 'shoppers' are living right across the street. If I was a nightowl, I'd stay up tonight and watch for them to approach then shine a mega powered flashlight on them (from a distance) OR shoot off some flash pictures. Probably wouldn't get a good picture but the flash might scare them.

My 83 year old neighbor lady and partner in crime had the best comment, "With all the stuff the robbers are taking, it just means that The Snake (who is greedily waiting to get his hands on all the hoarded stuff), will get less and less as it goes on". That made me smile. The more they take, the less he will 'profit' from his evil ways. Loving it.

Hey Sorta, make a sign stating,"When inside this house, breath deeply and often".

And to think that the most exciting thing here was when my neighbor cut down some trees in her yard and I felt badly.

Don't bother with them -who said we weave our own webs/traps.

Good advice Yankee. I would love to put up signs. Too bad I can't enter the property. I would have made the perfect concerned person to guard and take care of it (other than the original 'caretaker' who lived with the old guy).

The whole snafu is so sad. Nobody cares about poor old guy or the responsible and caring guy. All they want is $$$ from whatever they can sell. Terrible.

I'm still watching over it, but can't do a darned thing to really help. My best interactions are with the Hazmat guy who is probably the only sane one I've seen.

Since Hazmat guy posted signs, give him a call. Let him know the local yocals aren't policing a hazardous area as they were told, and you know someone is taking things from the house. Someone scattering hazardous material around should get his attention.

Either that or hot wire the fence so the thieves will get a charge out of their escapade. (just joking, seriously joking, sort of.)

Orrrr...you do have a police commissioner, right? Maybe it's time to call that person and provide enlightenment as to the ineffectiveness of the street police.

I agree with Homer6. The HazMat issues add a whole additional layer of liability to this issue. I maintained a 40 hour certification in Hazardous Materials for my entire career and they need to be made aware of this situation.

Hummm. Don't think we have a police commissioner. We do have a chief of police. Right now all of our law enforcement crew is mad about low pay and layoffs. Maybe that's why they do nothing about this empty house.

The Niece who seems to have taken charge won't let anyone 'help' her except the Snake guy. We have all volunteered, but she won't give phone numbers, or addresses, or even tell anyone WHO the person is to contact in an emergency. The police are frustrated by repeated break-in calls and nobody to contact to meet them there to let them in. OH and now there won't be any going in because of the Hazmat posting. Oh what a mess.

For sure the Hazmat issue should get someone's attention. I'm seriously thinking about calling a local TV station who has an 'investigator' who does segments about stuff like this. If it made the evening news, maybe someone might do something about it.

I'm just so frustrated that nobody seems to care except for the $$$ they can get from this old guy's estate. What a horrible situation. I'm almost wishing that it would burn down. The neighbors worry about that too. Eventually someone will probably break into the house proper or just light the garage (which is full of STUFF) on fire and it will all be over.

But then again, it keeps me busy watching the doings around there.

Because of the hazardous environment, and now the possibility of fire, as you say Sorta, the TV reporter may be your best bet to get something done before it hits the fan.

Why wait until everyone is threatened before taking action. If the Hazmat guy won't take stronger action, and the police pouting about something that has nothing to do with this situation, then it's time to let everyone know just how this entire situation is being handled. At the most, someone will have their buns roasted over an open fire if/when it airs and be forced to finally take action. Niece or no niece.

I'm with Homer on this. It's a danger to the entire neighborhood. This is a fire you don't want to happen - the air quality issues alone would frighten me.

I'm going to do it. Actually I'm going to get someone else to do it for me. Ha. The 'caretaker' and his ex girlfriend (the one who boxed up all the stuff in hopes of getting the guy back into his home), are the best for this.

Gonna call Him and then Her and give them the phone number of the Turko Files. That's our local news out and about clean up the world guy. This could be a great story.

Hopefully I can give them enough prodding and get them to enlist the help of 'neighbors' who called in the last police 'raid'. Then the TV station would have lots of people who would complain about the Hazards, the Burglaries, and all the other stuff going on.

Yup, I'm on it.

Now you're on a mission!

It's better that then figure out where all the fire trucks will park and whose home will be saved first.

I wonder what would happen if you pepper sprayed any surface the bad guys might touch?
It would be interesting to find out.

Not that I'm vicious or anything.

Gil.

You hit the nail on the head Homer! I can just see the other houses catching (although this neighborhood has pretty good sized yards),there are lots of trees and open areas behind every house that would catch in an instant. Very scary to think about.

My best thoughts are that the Snake (who is trying to profit from this guy's woes) and was sure he would get all his 'goodies' is going to get less and less each time the place is looted. I hope 'they' take it all and then Snake and company will be very unhappy.

Nobody can go in there, no action around there since the Hazmat team posted and taped it. Just a sad empty house with nobody who cares.

Moral of the story is: Don't live alone without any good friends and with nobody in your own family who you will allow to speak to you. You might end up like this guy. Estranged family, nobody cares a bit about him (because of his whatever grudge he carries) and no close friends that he would ever let into his house. Except of course the 'caretaker' who knew of the hoarding, took care of the guy, made sure his cars ran, made sure he got to and from places he needed to go, found him after 3 days lying on the floor with nobody around and saved his life, and then got pushed out of the picture by a con man pseudo friend who only saw dollar signs. The old guy couldn't stick up for the 'caretaker' who was supposed to get an old Pinto car he had been working on for years. So everything goes to people who could care less.

Terrible to be without friends who would do something for you when you really needed it. Lesson learned. Make plans, leave a will or at least 'wishes' in case of injury, etc. It gets to me how awful this whole thing turned out. AND it's still not over.

I'll update if the news crew gets here. Gotta convince the 2 people who did the most to buy into my plan. Looking forward to something good being done to resolve this stupidity. Nothing like lights and cameras to get a neighborhood in gear.

Cameras do get people excited, especially those who don't want to be on camera. I've a feeling the guy you call snake will be one of those who might like to find a hole to hide in when/if the cameras appear.

Hi Sorta,

It's been a while since I've checked on my GB friends. Then I saw your posting and have read thru it. I kept thinking of what a blight that property as well as the people involved are to the neighborhood. So I agree with the others that it's time to call out the cavalry and make some noise. All that bed chemical stuff has got to or soon will be permeating the air. You won't need to be inside to be harmed by it. In fact, please be careful about going near it. If hazmat is going in there, why don't they have a barricade to keep people like 15 feet away from it. The more you share, the more I'm scared for you.

This reminds me of what happened with my Mom's ranch townhome, about an hour from where I live which just sold this past August, 3 years almost to the day she died. My youngest sister who's in charge of my Mom's estate got the place in impeccably clean condition. My Mom was fastidious with cleaning but that went to the wayside when hospice and family coming and going the last 3 weeks of her life.

After having it on the market for over a year, we decided to rent it with the option to buy after a year. Estate funds were being eaten up by taxes. Although we didn't care for the people who wanted to rent it, there were no other offers so we accepted and they signed the contract. BEfore that they woudln't let us into their current living quarters, a small apartment. That left us very skeptical but, as I said, we had little choice. When they moved in, they brought their 2 dogs. They never mentioned they had any dogs. Within the year they were in my Mom's home, they filed for bankrupcy without telling. When we pushed to find out if they had applied for a home buyer's loan, that's when they revealed that little item.

Finally, we had an offer which depending on the place being cleaned up. An order of eviction was written up but the renters kept avoiding the sheriff. He couldn't get to them to enforce the notice. The realtor had a friend meet her there and she told the renters she needed 5 minutes to give a client an idea of the layout of the house The minute she was inside, she handed over the eviction notice.

When the renters finally got all their stuff out of my Mom's house, my sister went back and took pictures most of which she didn't show me of how they'd trashed the place. Never picked up after the dogs, so much stuff in the master bedroom's walk in closet that a wall was cracked and they drove their car into the wall fo the garage partly knocking down the wall shared by the half-bath After the closing of the house, the attys urged my sister to consider sueing the rentors for $10,000 estate funds spent to make the house livable. My sister and I agreed that it wasn't worth our sanity to try to get money from people who don't have any. Plus, we figured the atty's were pushing just to get a few more bucks out of hte deal for themselves.

I know my situation wasn't anywhere near as bad as yours Sorta. It was more of a pain in the rear than anything else. Yet it did cause a lot of emotional trauma. I share my store mostly to warn you the adventure may be just beginning. Esp since the estate person is apathetic to the reality of the situation becuase she has control of it, it might be a bit of a fight to get a decent spotlight on the situation.

Call and alert everybody and anybody with any authority. Even the attorney general. Nothing could hurt. Sooner or later, somebody's gotta pay attention. If you have a possible ticking bomb there, so to speak, does it have to explode before they take you seriously!

ok, I'll shut up now

Woweee Butterflybabe! I can feel the anguish and painful memories from here. Ohhhhh! Renters can be horrible. I've told my story of a bad renter on here somewhere. Cost me $8000. bucks of rehab and many sleepless nights. It bothers me to this day and it's been TEN years. Lesson learned about checking on prospective renters.

You brought up some good ideas. If the two people nearest the old guy (the caretaker and his ex gal) won't act then I think it's time for the city to get involved. They have some newish laws about abandoned houses (which kids use for drinking/drug parties, etc.) They force the owners to clean up or demolish the place. So far, from the outside the place is neat, but the inside is a major hoard just like you see on TV. Awful.

As for the 'hazards'. It's dangerous, but not to casual contact. I've been 'counseled' by the Hazmat guy (who goes in without any protection now) that things won't leak out, the inside is pretty safe unless you spend a load of time in there with it all shut tight. He's just afraid someone cleaning it out or looking at it to buy will trip over or find something they can't see yet under all that STUFF. Just being careful. He has that yellow, Caution Tape, all over the place and signs on every door (very official notices) about not going in or taking anything out. Scary looking. But the thieves still enter the garage and so far not the house which has bars. It's only a matter of time I fear.

Most danger is from someone setting fire to the place and at this point, I'm rooting for the 'bad guys'. Old guy in nursing home won't see or benefit from a penny of what is being sold and nobody really cares about him except us neighbors, and nobody will allow US to do anything legal.

We tried Adult Protective Services when all this started and they listened, but did nothing. Everyone has called the police at each break-in and they did nothing, even when they saw the door completely off and things piled outside ready to take. Can you imagine a police department like that? I lost confidence in them.

The caretaker guy contacted the guy's niece, but she lives across the country and has only come here twice to look around and list the place for sale. Didn't want anyone's help (of all those who are closest to the situation). She's still resisting Hazmat so this place will sit empty.

I'm going to check back with the caretaker and see if he followed up on my suggestions. Maybe he has some good news.

Such a mess. And the worst part, is it happens all over. People not caring for others or their property (your house in point).

Something will eventually clear all this up, just got to find the right 'incident' or 'person'. We do have a state rep who lives around here and holds 'open meetings' in a house up the block every so often. I might go to the next one and voice my concerns. He seems to want to help 'his' neighborhood. Might be worth a try.

I'd be so much better if the old guy hadn't asked ME and a few other neighbors to watch over his place for him as they dragged him off to the hospital. Oh well. Praying for something good to happen out of all this.

Thanks for your story butterflybabe. I know I suffer among friends!

The sad part is that the old guy who used to live there, Sorta, is a nobody. If the place were owned by someone with money, it would get attention. Or if it was disovered that a celebrity used to live there years ago, I bet the media would have to play with that one. 'THis property once owned by the Kennedy Family has been found in horrendous condition, etc, etc. Gee, anybody famous in this guy's background? Might be worth a diligent hunt or could be a complete waste of time.

Hope things get better or at least more comfortable for your peace of mind soon!

Unfortunately, this guy caused his own troubles. He was a grumpy old man (even in his younger years). I met him about a week after I moved in in 1978. Our first meeting was after my hubby and I had rescued a lost and famished poodle and tied it (used a new collar and leash I'd had stored)to our front fence under a shady tree with food and water.

We went out to get some dog food (only had cat) and when we came back, the dog was gone and the old guy stomped across the street, yelled at me for leaving the dog tied to our fence and made me not like him immediately. He did however, adopt that dog and had it for many years. He wasn't all bad.

Then after all the drama of the head injury, etc. we found out the story of his life. He estranged himself from his entire family (2 brothers, a sister, several nieces and nephews) because he had given his brother a gun collection to 'sell' for him and never got the money. Uhhuh. Simple as that. He refused to speak to anyone in his entire family ever again, moved out here from the East and lived alone (except for the younger guy who I call the caretaker). Was engaged once, never dated again, never had visitors, no kids, nobody to care.

Such a sad story for a guy who was not a bad guy. He had friends 'outside' his house. Went down to the local coffee shop every weekend. Caretaker took him to the swap meets and lots of casinos. That was his life. Gambling (which netted him a jackpot of 150k!) and swap meets where he built up his 'hoard' in the house.

Now the hoarded house is locked up tight, caution tape all over from Hazmat, and the only person who came to handle things, his niece, refuses to do anything about the Hazmat requests. House is up for sale, but nobody can show it until Hazmat clears it. It's stuck in a major loop and nobody has any idea when this will all be over.

Right now, nothing is happening over there. The break-ins seem to have stopped (or I'm just not seeing them). We are is stasis.

Never be without friends and and relatives and someone 'close' who will look out for you if you can't do it for yourself. Lesson learned.

Sorta, it is sad when one has no one in their life who loves them for who they are instead of what they can get.

Yup L4L, that's what bothers me the most. Nobody cares except for his possessions and the money they can get from his house. Now with this Hazmat thing, they are getting nothing and if Hazmat 'condemns' the house, it will be a total loss all around. It will be demolished and carted away. I'm really expecting that to happen. I can feel it. Horrible situation all because of a 'family feud'. Frank isn't a bad guy, just didn't think he might some day need someone.

I'm all for Karma getting back at the Snake and his kids and friends for swooping in and 'looting' what they could. Makes me smile just thinking about it.

hope this link works.


http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/Kansa...=553251&c=y

Eeeeek, my10...

Exactly what is going on in that house my10rugrats! Wow! The Hazmat guy told me it was about a gallon of mercury that was in the 'container' and the gal spilled just a bit of it. Can't tell how much because she was rather vague about it all since she felt stupid and embarrassed.

I'll bet that's why he had all that mercury in the first place. He was a watch and clock repair guy and collected the thousands of clocks in his house and garage and sheds. Probably had it to repair weights. Makes so much sense now.

Hazmat said exposure is dangerous in a closed hot environment, but is easily cleaned (with normal household stuff) IF you know how. AND you can track it all over on your shoes (which should be bagged and tossed along with all cleaning rags etc. Carpet has to be cut out, wood or other floors can be cleaned.

That mercury is the main reason the house is locked up tight. Hazmat guy says if the gal and her helper didn't show any signs by now that they are fine.

Thanks for finding that article. My 83 year old neighbor gal will now find out why he had SO MUCH mercury in the house. We've all been wondering about the amount they found. Neat.

What a story!! thanks so much for sharing with us parts of your oh so interesting life, Sorta!!!

Just when you thought it was all calming down:

Yesterday morning, we went for the usual walk. First time since Thursday morning since my walking partner had his parents visiting.

I noticed from across the street that the chain and lock on the security door on the old guy's house was NOT in the right position. I walked over and saw the chain hanging, lock still attached but nothing attached to the security door itself. Door was slightly open and the 'caution' tape from Hazmat was stretched and tucked inside so it only looked intact.

On the ground in front of the steps nearest the street was a lovely wooden OLD tool box and on top of that was a lucite box with tons of watch parts (springs, wheels, etc.). Just sitting there in full view of the sidewalk tucked into the corner.

So I came home, called the Hazmat guy whose office is about 30-45 minutes North and he said he was coming down immediately. Nice guy.

He came, took pictures verifying everything, and then used HIS chain and new locks to secure the door after putting the 'loot' back inside. Because of legal reasons he shouldn't have even done that but it seemed the best remedy.

Inside the lovely tool box was a hoard of EXPENSIVE finely crafted watchmaker tools. Probably for Rolex (he was certified) and they looked so shiny and like surgical grade. Oh how I wanted to get a closer look. Beautiful stuff. Insanely valuable.

Turns out the chain on the door had been CUT TWICE to remove it and must have been a very strong guy with major bolt cutters. That chain was BIG. We figured the burglars probably got interrupted or forgot to take that little pile of stuff. Report taken by Hazmat.

Hazmat guy called the realtor, then the police, then the Niece (got the hubby) and explained it all and that he had used his locks and he would need to be there if they needed to get in. Nice.

Also found out that he now has permission to FINISH his cleanup and is only waiting for someone who has the authority to be there. Should be soon.

BUT THEN (you thought this was all done huh?) last night (since we figured the thieves would surely come back for their lost loot, would be back, I monitored my security camera and lo and behold at 9:00pm sharp, an SUV drove up and two guys jumped out and ran to the side of the house nearest me and tried to jump the fence!

Then they realized that wasn't working, so they ran back to the 'usual' area in the parking spot where everyone goes over. I couldn't just sit here so I walked across the street, crossed the other street and CASUALLY walked by their car (got the license number!). Didn't worry about being spotted because a lot of people were out walking at that hour.

I casually walked by, not even looking in their direction but hearing chains rattling, and as I did THEY jumped back over the fence, directly behind me and so close I could feel the rush of wind, and got in their car and U-turned and went South on the next street. Didn't even stop for the sign. Don't panic, my male friend was within 20 feet of me at all times and was watching the guys closely.

After investigating I saw they didn't get in, chain was secure BUT they scooped up some little junky stuff on the ground (little metal parts of something AND 3 of those plastic balls they put in the jumping pits for kids. Why they took the balls I will never know.

Called the Hazmat guy this morning to report all the doings, and gave him the License plate number. He will turn that over to the police. We now figure these guys (who acted like the proverbial keystone cops) didn't know WHICH set of steps the stuff was stashed, so they went to the actual FRONT steps first (which nobody ever uses) then didn't find the box and tools so they went to the back steps, still didn't find the loot, tried the door and finally in desperation, scarfed up those little nothings. Very funny.

THEN an hour later, another car drove right into the driveway with high beams on and sat there for about 2 minutes. Nobody got out, nothing. THEY backed out so fast they almost hit the curb on the opposite side of the street, and zoomed off in the same direction as the first car, not stopping for the sign, etc. I'm thinking they SENT the other flunkies to retrieve the loot and didn't believe them when they said they couldn't find it.

So now I wait to see what happens next. It's a very busy time around here. At least I got the License plate, descriptions of the 2 guys, and a general description of the SUV. Might help someone somewhere along the way.

Doing my part for Good vs Evil.

I'm just glad that the Hazmat guy actually seems to have a handle on this. Like I said before, there is some hazardous materials liability here. If the cops ignore all these calls and reports and someone gets hurt, they are looking at some potential problems for themselves.

This is all so ridiculous. The constant burglaries at the same house should spurn law enforcement into action. If they're tired of responding to this location then it would make sense to stake it out and haul in whomever they catch trying to enter the house.

Are they going to wait until someone is hurt, or killed, before finally putting an end to all this? Hope this all ends without injuries.

Goodness Sorta so much drama! You be careful!

I so wish our Police department would take this seriously. They just all come over, stand around, chat with each other, do a 'walk around' of the little lot and then leave. No reports, nothing. They told me (and I guess it's the law?), that unless the 'contact person' is THERE they cannot enter, report, collect any items, do fingerprints, etc.

The contact person is in South Carolina. The guy who is local (who forced the caretaker/friend guy to back off for fear of being arrested..all bogus stuff)won't answer his phone or refuses to appear unless he wants to.

Even when there was a totally ripped off door, and a PILE of clocks and other goodies stacked outside it, all the police did was toss the stuff back inside and tell the caretaker (who I had called) to nail the door back on. He did. Nothing else done.

Insurance guy (who is really a good guy) says unless the 'owner' who is the guy with Dementia and is permanently in the nursing home, makes a claim, he can't do anything. Police would do report IF someone in 'authority' would make a list of missing items. Duh! Who besides the owner, who can't do anything, would even begin to guess what was missing from the hoarded house. I really mean hoarded (just like on TV).

BUT the bright spot in all this is that Hazmat guy. He's concerned, he doesn't belittle anyone, he does what he can to fix things, AND he finally is in contact with the Realtor, Police, Niece, and the Snake each time he comes over when I call.

Hopefully this will all be handled in the next month. Hazmat guy is optimistic.

Going on my walk around later and will report back if any new break-ins. Hopefully there will be nothing to report.