It pays to have a messy shed....

[will8989]

Hubby got up this morning and said "You forgot to shut the shed last night." And I said, "No I didn't I wasn't in there." Seems it was broken into sometime between 3am & 8am. Of course, when they got the door open, they were hit in the face with my tent! Then they had to trip over the lawn chairs & assorted stuff on the floor. The Trek bikes? Still there, there was just too much stuff to move to get to them. Snowblower? Buried under a beach umbrella. My sanders? Probably didn't see them since they were behind the tent. I told the police officer (and boy was he cute!!) they probably got in the wrong side of the shed (we are probably the only ones who have an addition on our shed in this area) and I opened the door to the other side. Inside was my son's Suzuki motorcycle. Seems there was also a van up the street stolen & abandoned down the road. It really spooked me as all our windows were open last night and no one heard a thing!! I told my neighbor and he said his shed was open yesterday and he thought for sure he had locked it. Now I don't put the dog out after dark as I don't want to go into our back yard, which is pitchblack since it backs up against a steep hill & trees. So tonight we are parking the truck right next to the doors to the shed & the radio will be at full volume. If they hotwire it to move it, the radio will hopefully scare the hell out of them & they'll move on. Hopefully they just won't come back. My son gave me his baseball bat to carry from room to room.

Darn I missed my chance! I should have told the office my drill press was in there, you know the one that doesn't work, and it was stolen!! The homeowners insurance would have replaced it!! Seriously, I'm very thankful they just got in the shed & not the house.

So the moral of this story is - DON'T STRAIGHTEN UP YOUR SHED!!!

Betty

[CanadianScroller]

Glad to hear they didnt get away with anything.
It is a sick feeling to have ones personal space violated.
It doesnt matter what neighborhood you live in there is always someone willing to go too far.
I like the idea of the radio.
I have had one car stolen and another attempt, why anyone would want a Kcar is beyond me....
My sons both have Porsche and they didnt go after those

Ky friend owns a restaurant and it was broken into. The thieves sent someone down the chimney, there was grease all over the restaurant. They must have been small because the chimney takes 2 90 degree turns.
I think in the end they caught them after they hit a few more places.

Keep safe Betty.

[Steviegwood]

Hi Betty, I am glad that the shed was all they got into and all is well with you and your family. Please keep us posted as to whether the (cute) policeman catches them or not. Steve

[Gill]

It must have been a horrible experience even though nothing was taken. Let's hope it was just kids messing around and that they don't pay you a return visit.

Gill

[miamw]

Betty, thanks for sharing your story with us. When I moved to my present home seven years ago, the previous owner told me he used to find kids in his shed smoking you know what. So, when I moved here, I added an alarm system to my house, but while they were at it, I had both shed armed with wireless sensors. I was so paranoid that I even got a sensor put on my garage entrance door as well as the overhead door. Yup, even that. Paranoia isn't a bad thing some times since I've had one instance where someone stupid enough actually opened one of my sheds at night. They were scared to death when the house alarm sounded!

If I were you, I'd set a trap for the would-be theif. I don't know what kind of trap, but the radio idea in the truck is one step closer.

Stay safe and keep your shed a mess! At least you know where everything is.

[Pop]

Sorry to hear about the break in but glad to know you didn't loose anything. When we moved to southern York back some 17 years ago, we were taken by the quiet and the serenity it brought to our daily existance. Over the past 4 years we've had a complete turn around too. It seems every night we hear about a barn or garage that was broken into. Tools are stolen, mini bikes and regular bicycles are missing. My lonesome back road has become a drag strip of cars from a developement that was built up over the hill from us. The sides of the road have become a dumping ground for tree limbs and shrubs that folks are cleaning out of their yards. I added a street light at the bottom of our yard because it was starting to become the place to hide and drink or smoke. It seemed to work after the electric company replaced about 3-4 bulbs that were being 'extinguished'. If we would call 911 and tell them we had a potential problem, they would ask exactly where is this taking place? It seems being out in the country made a difference on who they would send! If it was along the road ... they'd call the state police. If it was off the road on someones property they'd either call the state police or the local GAME warden! Till we would get done explaining the problem, the perps were gone.

I have since added an alarm system that also includes the shop. Any tripping of the system causes the outside light to flash and a piercing alarm to go off. It also flashes the light on/off in our bedroom. Not expensive! Radio Shack... $125! The street lamp cost me an initial $50 to put up a transformer and $7/month. The monthly charge has since stopped, so the security it gives us is free now. If you have a utility pole in the back yard, a dusk/dawn lamp with a timer or eye would be great. Just this last week I added a wireless camera to the setup. Hopefully yours will stop and you won't need to go to this extent.

[CanadianScroller]

Well last night we had some twerps come around and bend all the antennae and the windshield wipers on the cars in our complex.
Very frustrating and not worth claiming on insurance.
I cannot fathom how someone would get glee from vandalizing someone else's property.

Oh yeah the funny thing is they left the boys Porsche's alone and my old van, but they did get the new car.

I wish they had got the van, at least then they would have been infected with Van aerial disease!

[ozarkhillbilly]

"van aerial disease" Carl you crack me up!

Glad your O.K. Betty........

[Steviegwood]

Carl, only you could have come up with that one. HILARIOUS!!!! Steve

[Neal Moore]

Betty. You need to get yourself a big bad dog like my guy "Beavis". No one likes him but EVERYONE respects him. A 140LB Bullmastiff is a great deterrent to thieves....and door to door salesmen....and the tax assessor!!!