I have a new neighbor who lives behind me. He’s the son of a single mom, and he’s totally nuts. He just moved in last month.
I could list several instances of crazy, but I think you can get a good idea just from what happened yesterday evening. I was sitting out back with a friend of mine, when we heard lunatic start screaming. Nothing coherent, just “AHHHHHH” repeatedly. Then we heard was looked like a dog’s metallic collar jingling, immediately followed by what sounded like a punching bag and a dog whimpering. It was like he was punching the dog, and the dog would whimper.
My buddy looked over the fence and said he saw the guy holding the dog by it’s hind legs and punching it in the face. I’m not good with breeds, but it’s probably 20lbs? Short hair.
As he called me over to look, I heard a female’s voice, probably his mom, start yelling at him to cut that out. He then called her a c*nt, and marched back into his garage and began screaming again.
It was pretty disturbing, to say the least. The dude gets ridiculously angry a few times a week, but I never can tell what for. I just hear him screaming and punching walls and cursing everything.
Is there a course of action I can take about this dude? Despite the fact that he has serial killer tendencies, I also have a dog of my own and I don’t need some dude throwing broken glass laced meat over our fence. However, I’m not sure what action an LEO would be able to take especially considering animal abuse is like priority #2163 to both LE and the judicial circuit (if they could even substantiate PC for an arrest) I don’t know if I should confront him, as it would be hard to communicate with him given the 6ft solid fence and you know…his insanity.
Mom seems to be an enabler as well, so he’d probably get bonded out and then I’d really have an issue.
Great neighbors.
If he hits the dog I would call the cops, if they are renting and he is punching holes in the walls, I would call the land lord.
I wouldn’t confront him, I would just call the PoPo everytime he is acting an ass and let someone else deal with it.
Film him hurting the dog. Turn it over to the SPCA and the PD. They’ll save the dog. You can always try the Health and Welfare check calls to PD when he is screaming…let the landlord know too. If he’s a druggie, the landlord may boot him for fear of losing his property.
While I understand your concern for your own dog, I would have verbally confronted dude the second I saw the dog being abused (can’t stand that sort of thing). Dealing with people like that will always be a crap shoot on how they will react. However, I think you already know the right thing to do - and thus, you’re well thought out questions. It is not always easy to process such things when in the midst of insanity.
Afraid to say whether you do the right thing over the dog abuse or wait it out - you will in all likelihood have some confrontation in the future. I would think it best to begin the LE contact paper trial in the event things really get out of hand and you need to defend yourself or others (especially since you carry). Hope it all goes well for you.
EDIT to add - great advice above on filming future abuse and events.
First, calculate the risk:benefit of not minding your own business. If you proceed, record audio and video, keep logs and document. Refer accumulated information to LE, animal control/protection, and property management. Keep your expectations low.
Yeah, the 20 and 30 somethings that move back in with mom or the grandparents are always such winners.
Film and notify authorities.
Repeat.
I would not risk getting hurt or hurting someone else over their dog on their property.
After several months of strange and violent behavior and multiple police calls to his home,
the will rush the cops with an iron bar in one hand and a knife in the other while screaming and they will get hosed in the media for their brutality when they shoot him.
I am not one to want beefs with neighbors, especially nutcases as you are never quite sure what they are capable of.
The problem with video tapes are:
The fence - I installed this specifically to distance myself from this dude when they moved in. As such it is 6ft high and there are no gaps or anyplace I could really video tape anything without putting my phone over the fence.
Is recording someone else in their yard over a privacy fence legal? (Even though it is my fence) I’d hate to get a peeping Tom charge.
Personally, while I think him beating a dog is sick, I’m not willing to risk a feud to stop it. I just want to know what to do as I’m certain in the future there will be a confrontation.
Why are you certain there will be a confrontation? I have lived in my house for 4 years and never spoken to the neighbor behind me. They’re not crazy, but is there any reason you couldn’t just ignore him or call the cops? No need for you to personally confront him unless he’s on or damaging your property, and it sounds like you have that covered with the new fence.
Before I put my fence up I saw him yelling at my dog, inciting my dog to bark and then saying things like “I’ll kill you. Keep barking”
Now, occasionally when my dog parks, (and I always immediately bring my dog inside when she begins barking so not to annoy anyone) I will hear him loudly going “UGHHHHHH I CANT STAND THIS ****ING NOISE!!! ****ING DOGS!!!”
I mean, it’s just not normal to do that if a dog has barked three times. And I really want to clarify that I never ever let my dog sit outside and bark. If she is barking, I bring her in. Every time, and now I’m even more careful about it.
I’m just not sure that eventually I won’t be outside while I hear him having a tantrum and call him out on it.
Video it and turn it in, especially if you get it more than once. Repeatedly causing an animal unnecessary pain and suffering is a third degree felony in Florida. I know up here they are taking animal cruelty serious. They just prosecuted an 18 year old girl who was kicking ducks in the park and have done the same to several psychos hurting dogs and cats. These morons are only one bad day away from killing a person.
Call the SPCA and inform them of what is going on. Every time you hear him having an “episode” call LEO and make sure that you state on the phone that you have seen his violent out bursts and you ear for the safety of those in your house. EVERY TIME. You also want to Adult Protective Services. If he is deemed incompetent they will most definitely step in. To the point that if he is off his meds and the mother can’t care for him they will take him away for his own safety.
Do not go and take to her, just keep documenting it. It will protect you.
I see. When dealing with people like this, it’s important to be as calm as you can be, but take adequate documented actions. What others said about videotaping is good, unless it initiates a confrontation. If he is yelling at your dog, bring your dog in and ask him to not yell at your dog. If at anytime he threatens your dog or you, call the police. They will take it seriously if there is a threat. If you call on him for yelling on his property and they show up and it has stopped they most likely wont do anything. And if they get calls all the time and nothing is happening when they show up, they could start to be on his side. Like he has a crazy neighbor with a vendetta against him or something. Crazy people can act REALLY sane around authorities.
ETA:
If its possible and someone is at your house when he is out there yelling at your dog, have them videotape you going out there to confront him. They can stay out of sight as to not get too involved. He need not be in view, as long as you can hear him if he makes a threat towards you or your property.
I had a similar situation with an unbalanced neighbor a while back before we moved onto the boat full-time.
I installed cameras everywhere and then found out that they are so-so legal.
The backyard cameras could not capture Anyone else’s backyard property. However, the front door cameras that were pointed down the street as well as directly in front were legal, even though they captured the neighbors door and front lawn property. Apparently because they faced the street it was considered public/private and they were except from reasonable privacy expectations while the backyards were not.
In either case, while the neighbor and I did not have a confrontation, it did remind me of something I learned from my mother… “You can’t argue with crazy.”.
I have to agree with the above, I would tape every bit of this you see and keep it for the LEO’s who respond to your call.
I’m sure Mom has to go to work and I’m also sure this is when the little turd really goes wild. Tape it and turn it over. If he’s actually beating the dog and screaming at Mom out in the open, chances are he’s kicking her ass too.
Confronting this guy, who is obviously nuttier than a squirrel turd accomplishes nothing. Detailed tapes of this behaivor does. If LEO’s do nothing take it to the next meeting of the town counsel.
I would definatly either report it as often as it happens or just get up and move.
He is never going to stop being problematic. The question is how soon and how often his problems will impact you and your property. Will you be woken up by his incoherent screaming at night? Will he piss on your fence, break out your windows because he is bored?
If he is going to pick up a dog and punch it, his possible conduct is pretty wide open. This includes breaking into your home while you are at work, messing with your car at night, etc.
Most Florida PDs have a specific animal abuse department. You want to just start calling him in for EVERYTHING, get cell phone video of actual crimes if possible and be ready to deal with a violently confrontational person with severe mental problems if necessary.
This one isn’t going to go away by itself, he won’t improve. Logistically you are too close to not be impacted. If this guy lived three houses down you could probably ignore it. Next door, no way he isn’t going to be a problem. Might as well start dealing with it.
The good news is he might have a shitload of priors and it may only take two or three more instances to have him go “bye bye.”
Mom got divorced a few years ago, house foreclosed on. She is actually the Vice President at the company my girl works at (according to LinkedIn), which is a very respected company. I have met her, the day she moved in and she seems nice and normal but I can totally see her as Adam Lanzas mom. “He’s just being a boy!”
Son has a few traffic violations like evading and eluding, driving while suspended, and driving without insurance. He is 21