Security catches vandals, complaint lodged, names revealed, lessons learned...we hope!
CAUGHT! 4 individuals 18 and 19. They did this FOR FUN and have done other night fun things at night all this summer. Thank you RM Security!
To the parents of the boys that stepped out from the bushes on Murieta Pky North last evening pelting my husbands vehicle with eggs. He was returning from a business trip and was exhausted. These boys were older teens. They should have learned to respect others when they were much younger.
Let me tell you how lucky your "boys" were. The man in that truck spent all last year in Iraq. When he heard the eggs, he actually thought it was paint ball pellets. His reacted immediately. He stopped, your coward sons ran. Good thing, or I may have been bailing him out this morning. You might have been visiting your sons in the hospital.
Anyone can be a parent, but not everyone SHOULD be parents. You are failing.
I am so sorry for this Debra. I don't have any clue who these boys might be but I hope they are identified and that suitable punishment is meted out. And I hope their parents get a clue. It seems there are a number of parents who are turning a blind eye, don't care or don't want to believe their little darlings would do such a thing. That's disgusting. As you say, anyone can be a parent - no let's change this to anyone can make a baby - but it doesn't necessarily make them a parent.
Someone seems to have "sung like a canary" when caught in the egg throwing incident in the early morning hours of Sept. 22.
Names of the other three with him, numbers and details of other vandalism done by him and his, uh, hem, "friends", some on the same night and throughout this summer. Oh and by the way, a message to these young men, if you are going to subscribe to a life of crime, don't leave evidence behind and especially, don't try to get it back from security as a "lost" item. Not a good career move.
I'm looking for, in the least, a deductible. At the most, a public apology to all victims of this summers "fun games" here in RM in a public setting (Board meeting would be a great place with security officers present; a neighbor told me a story giving me this idea).
It's been rumored that maybe this same group vandalized a house here in RM. I for one can't wait to see the report. How many will press charges against these young men? Who knows, but it would be a shame at this age to have an arrest record that will follow you forever. The hits were to the drivers door (2) and one to the back door right behind the drivers area. It is like they were targeting the driver.
Throwing Objects at VehiclesCalifornia Vehicle Code 23110 addresses the illegality of throwing any object or substance at a vehicle in operation. According to the code, any person who throws anything at a vehicle or occupant of a vehicle while the vehicle is being operated on a highway is guilty of a misdemeanor.
Though it may seem very strict, the code helps to prevent people from doing anything that might obstruct a driver's view of the road and cause a collision. Objects and substances include litter and debris that drivers may illegally throw from their vehicles. This trash could land on another driver's windshield or be tossed upon or under another vehicle, causing the driver to lose control.
Code 23110 also notes that if a person intentionally attempts to cause bodily injury to a driver or occupant of a vehicle by throwing a rock, brick, bottle, or any other object at a moving car, it is considered a felony. Any intention to cause bodily harm to a driver or other vehicle may be punished by imprisonment.
If you have been a victim of a crime involving vandalism here this summer, contact Chief Remson (spelling) tomorrow afternoon and see if you can get a copy of the incident that includes this canary to see if your crime is one of the confessed so you too maybe be able to recover some of your costs.
Our next step is sharing this report with the Sheriff's department and our insurance company. It's out of our hands after that.
Debra,
Thank you for reporting this to the Sheriffs. Since my husband comes home at all hours regularly - thank you, thank you, thank you for your good work in making sure this doesn't happen again.
Thank for the kind words, but we are taking the legal steps to resolve our situation. Insurance companies require the insureds to report damage. A police report is necessary to prove our claim. The insurance company then has the right to go after these little twerps and try to recover damages. The district attorney will decide if charges are brought. After speaking with security (and others), it seems if this little band of vandals have caused lots of grief for security, and much grief and money to some of the residents of our community this summer.
The entity to thank is.....drum roll........Rancho Murieta Security. Some out here believe they are clowns, but they can only act within the guidelines of what they are hired to do. They wish they had a bit more authority, but their hands are tied. The officer that caught these guys cares about all of us and was frustrated with their activity all summer. He had had enough. Thank him. I was shocked to learn they were caught.
My opinion? All acts of vandalism need to be posted with a small bounty on their heads. I hope to post the names of these individuals once we get them. Enough of pretending it's just kid stuff. This is costly and frustrating.
And if you can't print their names because they are minors...maybe printing their parents names would be punishment enough, think of their embarrasment! Heaven forbid....
Thank you Debbie for pursuing this, thank you Security for doing the best you can with what guidelines you have to follow.
And while thanking Debbie for bringing this to our attention, I want to thank Linda Garcia again for pursing the DUI teenage driver incident. More residents need to stand up and do the right thing and not let things slide.
Beth, from my understanding, these were 18 and 19 year olds. One used to live here and states they come here to "have fun" because no one seems to take their crimes seriously . So it is fun. RM it seems is known as an easy target.
Stockton is 45 minutes away. What are we going to wait for out here, gold chain snatching, home invasions, drive by's? We need to be known as a community that is friendly, aware and tough on those that threaten to violate our homes, loved ones and our neighbors. You do that by holding people responsible for their actions, you know, like in the good old days. Enough.
If these individuals are 18 years and older, then they are legally adults, correct? Shouldn't they be identified by name so we all know who they are?
Hi John,
I agree, if a crime happens, it seems the criminals name should be posted. That is my hope once I learn who they are and if there is a confession like I was told there is. I'll hope to see that on an official report later today.
I've received notes from several neighbors and calls from a few stating they too have been victimized by this same "gang" it seems. The m.o. seems to be the same. One for about 7 years now and the last time the same night of our egging. They were caught years ago, parents contacted and a meeting took place where one of the fathers threatened a law suit if names were posted of his son...well cry me a river, they are now adults. Daddy can't come to your aide unless it's with a check book for your bail or attorney.
We are talking about firecrackers lit and thrown on wooden decks in the middle of the night, power being shut off while the home owners are away, paint being shot at homes and cars and other potentially either harmful, deadly or expensive behavior. The people I've heard from since my first posting have either been stopped by threats from the parents or could not find proof of who did these deeds.
Now we have it. We even have video footage, witnesses, confessions and who know what else. Now we need people to come forward to see if we can put together the pieces of who, what, when and where.
Criminal records, shame. If these were 10 year olds, my heart would break if the parents were trying to work with their kids. 18 and 19 year olds that have been bailed out time and again by their parents, no mercy.
People, contact the Chief and see if we can put together a case against these vandals and send a message to future vandals. Tping a tree is aggrivating, throwing a firecracker on a wooden deck is criminal. Enough.
Yes, if they are adults their criminal history is public information. Seems like I’ve posted this link before, but here it is again…
https://services.saccourt.ca.gov/indexsearchnew/CriminalSearchV2.aspx
As a matter of fact, you can also look up to see if they are incarcerated….
http://www.sacsheriff.com/inmate_information/
BTW, great job following up on this Debra! Personally, I would go after full restitution. Why should your insurance company have to pay for the damages caused by these guys?! If your insurance has to pay for the repair, will your insurance premium increase?
Out of control teens (unfortunately this is extending into late teens in to their twenties now since many kids are not moving out for a very very very long time) have been an issue in here for some time. It is time for them to learn, if their parents are not going to teach them, that there are consequences for having fun at other peoples expense. Hats off to CSD, there has been a push back from some parents toward CSD catching and the sheriff punishing such behavior. We need to, as neighbors, realize the importance of respecting each other.
Loved your posts, Debra, Raelyn and Jan. Between this and the DUI issue that so many want to ignore, we've got to do something to ensure our community remains the wonderful, safe place it has been to live in. It seems there are many - parents, kids, CC members, other residents - who don't seem to take our Security Patrol seriously and blow them off. That needs to stop. Unfortunately, I don't have a concrete plan to offer, but the community needs to be coming together to figure out how we can make our Security more respected. They get blown off because everyone - especially kids, it seems - know or think they can't really do anything to them, though the same people who have no respect for them probably don't have any respect for any other law enforcement agency, either. That's even more clear now with the information about these kids' attitudes and past crimes that Debra has found out. Kids learn that attitude and belief system from their parents who also have no respect for rules or authority. How do we turn that attitude around?
Sorry, to get back to the real intent behind this post. I had the same reaction to Debra's initial comment about just wanting to get the parent's to pay her deductible so she's not out of pocket. However, the more I thought about it - and having just gone through a vehicle damage settlement for an accident deemed to be someone else's fault - Debra will pay her deductible (hopefully reimbursed by the immature adult children) and her insurance company will take care of getting her truck fixed in timely fashion. But, because this was a crime (vandalism or whatever, there was a police report), once the perpetrators are found guilty, the insurance company will seek indemnification from the perpetrators to get their money back, including small claims or civil judgement against them.
The same is true for any other of their activities that were reported and for which they are convicted. If there isn't voluntary restitution, the injured parties can sue for damages in either small claims or civil court. I don't know the statute of limitations on these older crimes, but I hope folks come forward and put pressure on both the adult children and their parents to gain restitution.
Stopping crime-
Security can catch a troublemaker, but they can't make home owners press charges if victimized or make parents care enough to hold their own children accountable.
Our security officers deserve our respect and graditude, life is better with them. Without them, who would be the gate keeper? Who would be doing welfare checks on homes? Who would remove critters that get into our garages or call someone who can help. The least we can do is follow our basic rules in our own neighborhood. Basic manners are taught in kindergarten but soon forgotten because some people get too full of themselves and think the rules or manners don't apply to them any longer.
Security will be respected when we the community show respect for the hard work they do. Our kids will respect us when we demonstrate and stand up for what we believe in. I believe in the values of this community. If it takes going to court to "fight" those that compromise our community, I'm willing to do so. So should you.
Please, don't let Rancho Murieta be a community that is known for being soft on crime. Don't put out the red carpets for young punks and those that wish to do us harm. I like coming in the gates and feeling like we've got a great neighborhood. We all need to do our part to keep it a great place and it starts with our own attitudes and actions.
I'm sorry for the long winded post, but to answer everyones questions, yes, we will be pressing charges if the report we receive from security have names and details that will give the sheriff's enough to move forward. While our paint damage is minor, our irritablilty grew when we learned who did this deed and that he brought friends in to join him. Thanks to everyone for your calls and emails today.
Thank you everyone for following this posts so closely. We appreciate all the phone calls and emails. I had no idea so many people in Rancho Murieta had stories of their own about vandalism that have cost them either money or sleepless nights. Wow. And we just thought it was our truck that got "egged". Seem like a can of worms has been opened.
We are planing to coordinate a meeting with a Sac County Sheriff's deputy this Thursday along with another "victim" of these same vandals to lodge complaints against the young men that have been caught and confessed. We are very interested in seeing the full version of the report filed by security.
It seems as if one our neighbors have been targeted for years and are hopefull that this terrorism will finally stop. I can't imagine what they have been through. Other neighbors have said their homes have been paint balled, windows broken, entry doors hit with rotten vegetables causing paint to blister, lawns destroyed, feces left at building sites and a list of other costly or disgusting acts.
What we can't know, but I've since learned, our security have been and are attempting to learn the identies and apprehend some of these band of trouble makers. When you see security driving on dirt roads, moving quickly down the parkway or doing what may look like taking advantage of their positions as officers,we can safely assume they are working, not joy riding. They want it stopped as much as we do. Try to be mindfull that we don't know what's going on in the course of their jobs.
Again, if we want this nonsense to stop, insist on a report, insist the Sheriffs Department take a report and when you catch someone, insist they pay restitution. In addition, we are hoping an arrest takes place and we can post a link to the names of those involved.
When we know more, we will post updates. I'm sorry I've not had a chance to contact everyone that has sent messages, I'll try to get back to everyone by next week. Thanks once again.
Can there be something I'm not understanding? The night the egging and other acts of vandalism happened, they caught the adults. (4,) ages 18 and 19. Sac County declined to come out because they were on higher priority calls. Our security got a confession and names of these guys, so in lieu of the Sheriff picking them up, they are turned over to one of the young mens fathers that happens to live here in RM.
We asked about getting a copy of the completed report, the chief (Remson) is wanting it to be handed to the Sheriff's deputy and wants the deputy to decide if we get a copy or not? Is that right? Can that be how it happens. Is a resident father being protected (is he running for office or something) and the chief is protecting him? I don't know, but something is becoming fishy.
I asked the chief this morning if they were 30, would their dads still have been called? He said it was a great question and admitted that his position was tough, trying to apease the community. Someone needs to decide what service they serve and to whom. We are residents too!
Am I surprised by the Chief's reluctance to give out the name, not really. Unfortunately I think that's how things are handled here. If I were you, my next step would be the Sheriff's Dept. They have no loyalties to R.M., we're just a blip on their radar. If you haven't already filed a report with them, then definitely do so now.
Don't give up!!!
No worries my friend, we have in hand an estimate to fix the damage. Over $1700.00 estimate, that will be handed to the Sacramento County Sheriff deputy tonight along with the RM security report with the confession and statement of the officer that caught the young men trying to break into the security car to retrieve his back pack. Gee, that should be a charge too I would think.
No way are we giving up. USAA insurance should not be left holding the tab and we should not be out a deductible. And.... I would love to see the names of these young men posted here for all to see.
It seems that the safety and well being of "everyone" is not worth while if you Daddy is important (and by important I mean someone who is willing to bully anyone around them and threaten to sue to keep their child's "good name" in tack). You need to make sure that the sheriff knows the whole story and is willing to do something. Also you should press CSD as to why they are not filing charges for break in of their car. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO tired of parents letting their kids get away with this crap. They nearly hit my 2 year old with an illegal firework this 4th of July I HAVE HAD IT!!!!!!!!!! If CSD/SSD does not feel like following through on this I am curious if there is a private attorney that would. They are actively trying to ruin people lives, destroy their possessions and physically hurt completely innocent kids enough is enough! If security is not willing to open this information up, as I believe he is legally obligated to do, then I think it may be time to "call for back up"
Is it common to get a report from our security with the names of the suspects blacked out? So, who do we take to court to get our insurance deductible back?
We were told this was done so RM Association can avoid being liable. Liable? For doing their job? Can I get a rebate on our association fees that pay the Association employee's wage that made this decision since I'm not being served and protected?
We will be sending this over to our insurance adjuster along with a copy of the estimate to paint both front and back doors on the truck and we will let them work to recover the money they will spend to repair our vehicle.
Jen, I hear the anger in your voice and I don't blame you. We met a couple here last evening that have been fighting with these young men for 8 years. They have been terrorized. They have a security system set up that would most likely surpass anything our RM Security has set up at the North Gate. I've emailed you their names so you can couple with them in perhaps hiring an attorney to force RM Security to reveal the names of the men being protected by our Assiciations with what you described since they've admitted to the crimes. Good luck to you.
That is interesting....Bottom line, call the Sheriff’s Department (916-874-5115 / non-emergency #), request a Deputy come out to take your report. Give the Deputy the Security Officer’s name and information. The Deputy can list the Security Officer as a witness in the report, interview him and glean the necessary information, i.e., suspects names, etc., and proceed from there. Once the information is listed in the Sheriff’s Crime Report, you can request a copy for your records/insurance company. If you want to press charges against the involved parties, let the Deputy know so the appropriate steps are taken. Good luck Debra!
So, I spoke with our good friend who is the chief public defender in yolo county about this and his conclusion is that this looks like it could be considered obstruction of justice on the part of RMA and/or CSD. If they choose not to release the names and contact information of these people to the sheriff and the insurance company, who both have the right to ask for it directly, this actually increases their liability. If I were you I would encourage your adjuster to pursue CSD directly. And I would make sure that the SSD officer who is working with this case knows that they are refusing to release this information. I would also speak with your attorney about this. (if you do not have one retained you should) Something tells me, and it would not take a rocket scientist to figure this out, that this is probably the child of someone on the board (RMA/CSD). I think we also need to think long and hard about who we elect for these boards.
Not sure, but this may be helpful since CSD is a governmental agency . . . .
The California Public Records Act (Statutes of 1968, Chapter 1473; currently codified as California Government Code §§ 6250 through 6276.48) was a law passed by the California State Legislature and signed by the Governor in 1968 requiring inspection and/or disclosure of governmental records to the public upon request, unless exempted by law.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Public_Records_Act
With respect to police and other criminal justice law enforcement agencies, Government Code §6254, subd. (f) applies to records that “encompass only those investigations undertaken for the purpose of determining whether a violation of law may occur or has occurred. If a violation or potential violation is detected, the exemption also extends to records of investigations conducted for the purpose of uncovering information surrounding the commission of the violation and its agency.” Haynie v. Superior Court, 26 Cal.4th 1061 (2001) But the exemption also applies to “any investigatory or security files compiled by any other state or local agency for correctional, law enforcement, or licensing purposes,” including investigations by state or local regulatory agencies. If the investigation does not have one of these purposes, the exemption does not apply. Register Division of Freedom Newspapers Inc. v. County of Orange, 158 Cal. App. 3d 893 (1984). The exemption may be asserted no matter how old and dead the investigation may be. Williams v. Superior Court, 5 Cal. 4th 337 (1993) But unless disclosure would threaten the successful completion of an investigation or the safety of a person involved, an agency must disclose the basic “who/what/where/when” facts in crime, incidents and arrest reports, including requests for assistance, at least with respect to “contemporaneous police activity” rather than attempts to obtain information about an officer’s long-term performance that would otherwise be confidential (see 6 above) County of Los Angeles v. Superior Court, 18 Cal.App.4th 588 (1993).
https://www.calaware.org/downloads/Top10_CPRAExemptions.pdf
https://www.calaware.org/downloads/Top10_CPRARequestPoints.pdf
Thank you for coming over this morning with an unedited version of the incident report.
We will now share this information with our insurance company and file a complete complaint with the Sac Country Sheriff's department.
If ANY parents are reading this post, remind your kids that what seems to be fun, is very OK, but when there is harm to property or persons, there is a price to pay.
Hello Debra:
Thank you very much for following up, and holding the criminals responsible for their acts.
Can you please release their names and address?
John
John,
I would love to share the names of the vandals listed in the report. I have been advised that until there is an arrest, conviction or charges, it is not my place post them. HOWEVER, if you have a vested interest in this information, please contact , me and I will make you a copy.
Please keep in mind, while some of the activities confessed to that night may sound like problems you have had, there may be other bands of hoods causing problems. It would be easy to assume these are the only troublemakers, but we all need to keep a level head.
I would advise any of my neighbors that if vandalism happens, post a reward for information, put it out there. Transparency of crimes will put these kids and their parents on notice that this community is finished with looking the other way when costly damage has been caused by their actions. The is a price to pay. Too many times vandals have been caught and victims decide not to follow through. That just send a message to these kids that we are soft and in my opinion, the victim is just as guilty as these kids in encouraging more destructive behavior. But that is just my opinion.
Hey,
Good work by all involved! I understand the reluctance to release the names. There are all sorts of potential risks of doing so that are both legal and personal.
But, a crime of this sort, especially if it is part of a string of such crimes, should be of interest to the River Valley Times and maybe even the Bee. Newspapers may have the right to publish the names of "alleged criminals," and I would think they have a responsibility to notify the larger community (not just frequenters of RM.com) of such activity.
There may well be more victims out there that would like the chance to add to the list of incidents these goons are responsible for outside our gates. If enough people know about this, the names will come out. People talk.
Hi Craig,
Great suggestion. I know I keep getting calls with people wanting to know who the vandals were. From what I can tell, the last name is NOT someone's kid that currently serves on our Board of Directors for Rancho Murieta.
One of the adult kids has a dad that is in law enforcement. It gives me a moment of pause because we too are a law enforcement and military family. However, I understand the dad is and has been doing all he can to get this young adult straightened out and trying to get him to fly right. My heart goes out to him. However, like one of my neighbors said, "it's not your place to protect his kid". I know he's right.
As it stands, we have filed a complaint with the Sac County Sheriff's department. I don't know if the other party has and some of the parties that were also targeted that night I don't think have done anything (to my knowledge, there were 4 or 5 victims that night). That's part of the problem. People just want to move on. Well, us too. However, our obligation is to this communtiy and we have to do what is right. It's up to the young man to learn what's the price for behaving like an idiot (and his friends too). Hopefully, this will send a message to future idiots and keep them from making the same mistake.
Confidential. Your name will not be revealed. Wanted: Information of who the two young men were that egged our truck last night. According to security, they've done it before and they will do it again.
After checking the truck this morning, there are three "egg" sized dents where the eggs hit. This will be turned into the insurance company and a Sheriff's report will be done this afternoon.
This was a criminal act. Someone knows who did this as I'm sure the young men have been bragging about their actions to someone. Help us stop them.
Cash reward for information leading to the arrest of the young men who did this. Our desire is to take their parents to court and hold them accountable for the actions of their sons.
Call: 916-230-0818 Thank you.