Getting robbed sucks...

[JebCkr]

Yea, so I wake up this morning to my roommate knocking on my door asking if I'd taken the Xbox. All downhill from there. Turns out the Xbox, 15 or so games and 2 controllers are gone. Someone unscrewed the doorknob on our back door and broke in sometime during the night when 4 people were in rooms asleep. Spent the day dealing with cops who basically can't do a thing even though we are 95% sure we know who did it and holding back the overwhelming urge to get vigilante justice. Bright side, they could have taken a lot more and they left my brew stuff alone. Still, the unhealthy, dark and borderline psychotic hatred I have makes me want to bust the guys door down with my 16lb sledge and crush him with said hammer.

So...now I'm trying to be realistic about it all and just relax, not worry and have myself a home brew.

 

[MeatyPortion]

I feel for you, man. When I was living with roommates (back in 1997) our house got broken into. Fortunately, no one was hurt and nothing much got taken. Just look on the bright side: at least no one was hurt.

 

[jmendez29]

Yea, so I wake up this morning to my roommate knocking on my door asking if I'd taken the Xbox. All downhill from there. Turns out the Xbox, 15 or so games and 2 controllers are gone. Someone unscrewed the doorknob on our back door and broke in sometime during the night when 4 people were in rooms asleep. Spent the day dealing with cops who basically can't do a thing even though we are 95% sure we know who did it and holding back the overwhelming urge to get vigilante justice. Bright side, they could have taken a lot more and they left my brew stuff alone. Still, the unhealthy, dark and borderline psychotic hatred I have makes me want to bust the guys door down with my 16lb sledge and crush him with said hammer.

So...now I'm trying to be realistic about it all and just relax, not worry and have myself a home brew.

Am I reading this right? Unscrewed your doorknob from the outside?

Well, lesson learned for the next time. If it happens, and you know who it was, don't call the cops, get it done on your own. Even if you get convicted for assault and he walks away from a theft charge, he'll never walk the same again after a broken knee.

Sorry for the loss. Would something like this be covered by renters insurance? For all the time I ever had it, I never needed to use it so I'm not sure what gets covered.

 

[Clonefarmer]

Yea, so I wake up this morning to my roommate knocking on my door asking if I'd taken the Xbox. All downhill from there. Turns out the Xbox, 15 or so games and 2 controllers are gone. Someone unscrewed the doorknob on our back door and broke in sometime during the night when 4 people were in rooms asleep. Spent the day dealing with cops who basically can't do a thing even though we are 95% sure we know who did it and holding back the overwhelming urge to get vigilante justice. Bright side, they could have taken a lot more and they left my brew stuff alone. Still, the unhealthy, dark and borderline psychotic hatred I have makes me want to bust the guys door down with my 16lb sledge and crush him with said hammer.

So...now I'm trying to be realistic about it all and just relax, not worry and have myself a home brew.

I've been robbed before, too. It's a frustrating situation. On the plus side, the people who robbed you will probably continue to make poor life decisions and end up in jail.

 

[Hang Glider]

even though we are 95% sure we know who did it and holding back the overwhelming urge to get vigilante justice...

hold back on the assault, but a 2lb sledge on HIS doorknob could cause total door replacement, if you know what I mean. Cost him some bucks, some security. You weren't hurt, so don't go to jail for hurting someone else.

 

[knotquiteawake]

That really sucks man. My whole college life I lived in houses and apartments with other guys, and I think we were really only lucky that nothing ever got stolen, sometimes the guys wouldn't even lock the door when they left.
I usually keep our bedroom door open when we're sleeping, hoping that either myself or the dog will hear someone trying to come in.

 

[BeerWars]

I'm shocked we never got robbed in college. Our door was never locked and just about everyone knew our place was wide open (we'd come home from the bars to people that started an after-hours party routinely - we always had tons of free beer because my roomates older brother was a manager at a Budweiser distributor, he would let us fill my SUV with beer that was past the "Born on Date" for free - we literally had a fridge with a few cases and a corner of our apt that had cases stacked floor to ceiling). I didn't even have a key to our place on my keychain - I had to search for it when we moved out to return to the landlord.

Back then the N64 PS2 were big - we had both in our living room. Big tv, Check. 4 nice computers, Check. Mountain Bikes. Each one of us had tvs and VHS/DVD players. We either were really lucky, or people didn't want to ruin a good thing.

 

[freakshow10mm]

Sucks that someone broke in and stole your stuff. BTW, that's burglary, not robbery. This is a property crime not a personal crime.

Even if you have insurance it's likely the cost of replacement is less than your deductible. Obviously your security is lacking so I'd fix that first thing. Not much else you can do and it's not worth your time for something that can be replaced as easily as a video game system.

 

[knotquiteawake]

I am kind of confused that the screws for your door handle were on the outside of the door, normally whatever side has the locking mechanism has the screws for just this reason.

 

[Beerrific]

You need to get a dog. A big one.

 

[Homercidal]

Posse up and go get the game system back!

And don't forget to put a new door handle on with the screws on the INSIDE this time...

 

[Elshauno]

Ive been robbed before by a former friend from when I was a teenager. He stole my car stereo. In fact he got into the living of doing that sort of thing. I saw him on the news involved in a home invasion. Then a few years later on the news again for an Amber alert. As it turns out he decided to go do drugs and pass out in the front seat with his kid and a friends kid in the back seat. Just stay away from him the worst thing you can do is bring yourself down to his level. He will soon face the consequences of his actions.

 

[passedpawn]

BTW, that's burglary, not robbery.

Hmmm, I just learned something. Thanks! Funny you can get 45 years into life and never realize that those words have distinct and different meanings.

BTW, I would not attack the other guy or his property. Because 1) there's a 5% chance (as you said) that you'd be going after the wrong guy, and 2) this petty theft of a game console will quickly escalate into something much bigger. Even if he is the culprit, if you get caught he might prosecute.

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

You need to get a dog. A big one.

Best reply yet. No better security than a German Shepherd, Pit, Rotty, or other large breed dog that knows you're his master, and knows your house is the pack's den.

 

[kchippie]

Don't even need a big dog, just has to bark like one. Criminals are LAZY, if they hear a dog they move on to the next house.

 

[wildwest450]

Best reply yet. No better security than a German Shepherd, Pit, Rotty, or other large breed dog that knows you're his master, and knows your house is the pack's den.

Or you could just put the lock sets on the door the right way, the screws go on the INSIDE.



_

 

[JonW]

Did the cops take fingerprints of the door knob? There should be some easy prints to find. Invite the dude in question over for a beer and give him a nice clean pint glass. Compare the prints. Done.

 

[Acoma]

That sucks. It has to be someone you know. Find out who and get your stuff back. Then install some dead bolts properly.

 

[TxBrew]

My house was robbed when I was a teenager. It took a while to figure out what was missing.

Sorry for your troubles.

 

[skeeordye11]

It sounds as though your door knob may have been installed incorrectly. Perhaps you can take that up with the landlord for some sort of retribution for your anguish.

Wow, that sounded kinda smart. I'm gonna go lay down, my head hurts now.

 

[Edcculus]

I think the most concerning thing about this is the theif was able to unscrew the door knob from the outside...

 

[knotquiteawake]

I think the most concerning thing about this is the theif was able to unscrew the door knob from the outside...

Maybe the knob was installed correctly and could ONLY have been unscrewed from the inside... in which case it was an inside job! Made to LOOK like a break-in! Hmmm... I think the OP should lock everyone in the study and start asking some serious questions. I suggest watching a couple of episodes of Columbo first to get your questioning method down pat.

 

[samc]

Sorry to hear it, but I honestly don't know anybody who has not had something stolen from them. Just the other day my nine year old daughter was packing up a bunch of new small toys she got and was taking them to school. I told her that she was going to be coming home with nothing if she did that. She stomped her feet and cried a bit, then gave in and took just one of them. Sure enough someone stole that out of her back pack and I got to hear "dad was right" several times between tears. NINE year old kids are going to rip you off, with adults you're lucky they didn't do worse.

 

[BeerWars]

it sounds as though your door knob may have been installed incorrectly. Perhaps you can take that up with the landlord for some sort of retribution for your anguish.

Wow, that sounded kinda smart. I'm gonna go lay down, my head hurts now.

lol

 

[HexKrak]

No posse, no vigilante. Why? Because the second you do is the second that Murphy's law kicks in and decides that it's not the right guy.

I'm sorry to hear about your loss, and the feelings of that loss of security which are much worse than getting your stuff taken. Get that lock fixed, and beef up on the home security. The robber will almost assuredly get what's coming before too long.

 

[RegionalChaos]

Anyone have any copy of the serial number or anything on the xbox? If you can identify it, the police may be more helpful if you can tell them that you found your stolen goods.

 

[Berock]

Are you sure he didn't mess with the beer I would be worried with every drink.

 

[Walker]

Yea, so I wake up this morning to my roommate knocking on my door asking if I'd taken the Xbox. All downhill from there. Turns out the Xbox, 15 or so games and 2 controllers are gone

The stolen game console can probably be tracked if they ever hook it to the internet. But you'll have to convince the police to put forth the effort on that.

 

[dos_perros]

That truely sucks man, but like others have said at least it was just an x box and no one got hurt. I know getting even probably feels like the right thing but dont do it. Karma is a *****, even if it takes a while for it to happen.

 

[JebCkr]

Am I reading this right? Unscrewed your doorknob from the outside?

Well, lesson learned for the next time. If it happens, and you know who it was, don't call the cops, get it done on your own. Even if you get convicted for assault and he walks away from a theft charge, he'll never walk the same again after a broken knee.

Sorry for the loss. Would something like this be covered by renters insurance? For all the time I ever had it, I never needed to use it so I'm not sure what gets covered.

After looking, they pried it off, there were no exterior screws.

I'd love to have gotten a chance to to break his legs, but my roomies called the cops first thing...kinda killed that plan. Now the guy has skipped town.

And I have renters insurance, but the deductable is $500 and that's around the cost of my loss. Not all the games were mine.

You need to get a dog. A big one.

My roommate has a 140lb Akita back where he lives. We are thinking of bringing it down, but the problem there is we'd keep it inside and the thing is so damn protective it hates anyone who isn't his owner, including me. But yea, that'd been funny to walk in on that dog.

Did the cops take fingerprints of the door knob? There should be some easy prints to find. Invite the dude in question over for a beer and give him a nice clean pint glass. Compare the prints. Done.

I don't actually know the guy. I just noticed a car (a beater that was obviously out of place) parked in front of our house the day before, then noticed the same car parked at a house down the street. Probably should have called the cops when I first saw him...but that is easy to say now. Got his tag and all and the police went and questioned him, soon as they left he left.

And again, screws weren't on the outside, they pried it off. I was wrong in the original post. But, the deadbolt wasn't done and that was our mistake.

Anyone have any copy of the serial number or anything on the xbox? If you can identify it, the police may be more helpful if you can tell them that you found your stolen goods.

Yea, we provided all that info. There is a detective on the case at the moment. I don't expect much to come of it. I do need to look into the warranty though. Once I get the police report that might be enough since it was still under it's 1yr warranty.

The stolen game console can probably be tracked if they ever hook it to the internet. But you'll have to convince the police to put forth the effort on that.

Yea, I was looking into that today. I don't have the access to the databases needed, but I'll run it by the detective when I see him.