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Seems no good deed goes unpunished


Coytee

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  • 1 month later...

The rest of the story:

 

After the police came and made their report, I realized this thing was so new, I could probably call the dealer and get the serial number (not sure where my receipt is)

 

Got the serial number, gave it to the police.  He said that was good as if the saw ever popped up at a pawn shop, it would be flagged.  He didn't think that would happen though, nor did I.  I had written it off.

 

Just a couple weeks ago, I got a call from the police....  the idiot took it to a pawn shop!  

 

It is about 90 minutes away.

 

I have a choice.  I can either let the police get it and they'll KEEP it during any trial date or, I can go buy it back myself for the amount the pawn shop has in it.  They have about $180 in it.  Will any trial be in 2-weeks, 2-months??  What if the perp flees to California or Mexico....  2-years?

 

Turns out the perp had broken his probation just about the same time he stole the saw.  The detective said they were going to go after him and pick him up.  I decided I didn't want to get it back for 'free' if that meant maybe waiting longer than I want.

 

I drove the 90 minutes and paid the $180 to get the saw back into my hands right away.

 

Talking to the guy at the pawn shop, I handed him my debit card.  "nope, we only take cash" 

 

Crap....  well, as it happened, I had $100 in my wallet and asked where the nearest bank was.  He said he'd take the $100 and would use my card for the balance.  (seems some people pay with card, then dispute the charge later on, putting him in a loss situation)

 

I explained that I was just happy to get my saw back.  I had started the mental debate process on buying another one but, decided I was going to wait until summer to think more about it.  

 

Now, I don't have to!

 

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Are you sure you had to pay to get it back?  In Michigan, a pawn shop cannot take title to stolen property.   If the rightful owner can establish ownership/title to the property, the pawn shop must return it and seek recourse from the pawner.  There are procedures in place to require pawn shops to avoid receiving stolen goods.  Pawn shops have an incentive to follow the rules to avoid just such a scenario.  If they are unable to get their money back due to their lack of diligence, it's their loss.  The laws in Tennessee might vary.

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At the risk of confusing the matter further, in Michigan, contrary to the misunderstanding of many police officers, "possession of stolen property" is not a crime; receiving and concealing stolen property is a crime.  The key factor is knowledge or intent.

 

If you know the property is stolen, that's a crime.  If you should have reasonably known the property was stolen, you could be charged with a crime.  In your scenario, a pawn shop would, as Desi would say, "have some splainin' to do."  Why would anyone but a thief pawn an essentially new saw?  The law requires the pawn shop to get photo ID, in other words, to know with whom they are dealing, so that, if stolen, the rightful owner can be made whole.  The pawn shop must then look to the pawner to get it's money back.  Good luck with that.

 

So much for legal technicalities.  In practice, pawn shops pay lip service to the laws and indulge in the fiction that the new saw is not stolen.  To them, it is a cost of doing business that they might be required to return the occasional "stolen" goods.  Without "stolen" goods, pawn shops would probably be out of business.

 

In reality, most police departments are not eager to get involved in such transactions.  As an example, I was in a store that deals in comic books and used records, as well as used goods.  A kid in front of me was selling a brand new Craftsman electric drill set in the case with all accessories.  The cord was still neatly bundled.  The store owner (arrested once as a peeping Tom, but that's another story) asked about the owner's manual.  The kid said he could get it.  A dollar to a donut, the kid worked at Sears and stole the drill, or stole it from a friend, relative or neighbor.  Why would a true owner want to sell an unused drill for pennies on the dollar?

 

I called the local police to report the highly suspicious transaction.  They could not have cared less.

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I feel for you being in your situation & I don't have the answer to remedy. But a gun!!! ( really people !! ).  For those who suggested violence, using a gun, fighting. The admins should remove your post due to legal issues of your advocating violence that could get someone harmed or killed.

 

Throughout history there have always been people who will steal and take advantage of others. This is the nature of man.

I want what you have and instead of working for it, I will just take it.

Money is the root that leads to all evil.   This is a truth and will always be. If you have it someone wants to take it from you.

 

I am currently surrounded by neighbors that no one would want around them. I have recently posted some of my equipment for sale on the forum due to the fact my wife & I are moving, not due to the neighbors and their ways, but we lost 4 family members in the last 2 months and we want to move closer to home to be around family.

But we will be dammed glad to be away from our current neighbors. We live one mile from the interstate but are out in the country. With in 1 mile of us lives 11 child molesters & God only knows what else.

 

Please don't let your situation  escalate into a Hatfield & McCoy feud by using violence. Protect your family, protect your property. But use the correct venues, law enforcement, but my two cents is stop feeding the monkeys or you will never get them off your back.    

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I don't know the local laws.  The Detective on the case was the one who brought up the idea.  He said I could get it back for free but, THEY had to take it as evidence and I wouldn't get it back until the case was over OR, I could reimburse the shop and get it back myself.  

 

I chose the latter so I could close this door behind me.  It was after all, my stupidity of leaving it out in the open at the end of a dead-end road on my backhoe, open to steal.... so I'll eat that as a lesson.

 

Frankly, I'm just glad to have it back.  When I called the shop to verify they had it, I asked the guy to describe it....he said he hadn't seen it...hang on....  went to look at it, came back saying "dayum, that thing doesn't look like it's ever been used.  It looks brand new but for some sawdust on the blade"

 

Yep, that's mine.

 

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to Groovy, the neighbors house where this happened....  are a bunch of punks but for the mother.  (I'm going to chop up a long story)

 

Even their uncle has told us to not deal with the boys, his nephews, as they are bad news, seed, characters...  They've been in jail almost as much as out.

 

Seems one of them once pulled a gun on their father...  nice group.

 

Their uncle (mothers brother) finally came and took her away without telling anyone (without telling her sons, we have been in conversation with him)

 

They are evicting her sons from the house and then she's going to sell it.  

 

Though you never know who's going to move in, it's hard to think the neighborhood can go DOWN after they're gone (they're now gone & house is empty)  We could have some real bad people move in and still be an upgrade!!

 

Fortunately, the house has a couple acres and is right across from the lake.  I would expect a typical redneck might not find that as appealing as much as a typical yuppie type.

 

We'll see.

 

The other neighbor (this house is sandwiched between our 250 acres and another neighbors 40 acres)

 

anyway, the other neighbor works with my wife.  I've told the wife she needs to plant the idea that they should buy this house and level it so they can control who lives there (or not).

 

 

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25 minutes ago, Coytee said:

I chose the latter so I could close this door behind me.

 

Wise move.  Had you and the saw become part of a criminal prosecution, you would have been subjected to much more than $180 worth of aggravation without achieving anything even approaching justice.

 

Best of luck with your new neighbors.  Sounds like Walter White would be an upgrade.

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  • 1 year later...

End of the story part II

 

Interestingly (for me), I opened the mail the other day and had a check from the county clerk (or justice...something like that)

 

None the less, amount was for $150.  I had no clue what it was for, then remembered the saw saga....

 

I called the courthouse to ask and yes indeed, it was my reimbursement (even though it's about $30 short)

 

Still....  I have my saw and most of my cash back and a good redneck story to tell!!!

 

On the check was the perp's name (something like on the memo line).  I had specifically told the detective I didn't want to know the perp's name because if he was ever found floating in the lake, I didn't want any chance of someone suspecting me.

 

I hope he knows how to swim.

 

 

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I hadn't seen this before and this story is worth every bit of $30 :lol: 

I don't own a gun for the same reason as you , My temper !

I can't get anymore than $250 a day from the ATM because if I need that much cash after the bank has closed...... It's probably a bad Idea to begin with :lol:

 

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1 hour ago, Gnote said:

I hadn't seen this before and this story is worth every bit of $30 :lol: 

I don't own a gun for the same reason as you , My temper !

I can't get anymore than $250 a day from the ATM because if I need that much cash after the bank has closed...... It's probably a bad Idea to begin with :lol:

 

 

Unless yer buying a schweeeeet pair of la Scala speakers on a Sunday, such as I did.😀

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