Broken into, Steamed

[Handloader109]

K, a bit of background. I live in NW Arkansas. I have a house and a large shop in MS. In a small town, but actually in the country, surrounded by 40 acres. So it is alone and by itself. About 250 ft from main road. Shop is mainly hidden. House empty, lot of items were moved into the shop. Being 450 miles away, I get down there once a quarter. Have family close, watch it when they drive by going to work. On the Market, but not selling.
Down there over the weekend. Someone has broken into the shop and stolen a good bit of stuff. I had to come back to work. But I want to take off work and head back down, and wait on these guys and do them harm. The $hit isn't worth doing this, but still feel the need. (yes they've been in at least two times).
Tell me I'm being dumb stupid and give me some alternatives that might work.

[RED333]

Cameras, is about all I can think of other than breaking a few hands, arms, legs and heads.

[BrassMagnet]

Make my day law?

The burglary rate always drops when a burglar gets shot.

[blademasterii]

A weeks vacation, a 12g autoloader filled with beanbags some camping supplies and a ride to your shop so no vehicle is near. Barring that send your relatives a handfull of game cams and put them everywhere. A tag number and some faces should go a long way towards recovering your stolen goods. Also if the value of the things stolen exceeds 500 dollars should make it a felony theft charge. And if you are over 65 might even get crime against the elderly tacked on.

[StolzerandSons]

Missouri (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri)
563.031 (http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C500-599/5630000031.HTM)
Extends to any building, inhabitable structure, or conveyance of any kind, whether the building, inhabitable structure, or conveyance is temporary or permanent, mobile or immobile (e.g., a camper, RV or mobile home), which has a roof over it, including a tent, and is designed to be occupied by people lodging therein at night, whether the person is residing there temporarily, permanently or visiting (e.g., a hotel or motel), and any vehicle. The defense against civil suits is absolute and includes the award of attorney's fees, court costs, and all reasonable expenses incurred by the defendant in defense of any civil action brought by a plaintiff.



If you have to stay there and you are armed, then MO law is on your side if you should have to defend yourself.

Your best bet though is to file a police report on the theft that has already occurred get it all well documented.

Then I would install some game cameras that are very well secured in some not so obvious locations, this way you will have evidence if another break in occurs and hopefully enough good pictures to easily identify the burglar. Leave the rest up to the police and the insurance company.

Now of course there are less nice options like bear traps beneath the break in points, white phosphorous in glass jars over the door, shotgun strategically mounted with a trip wire, etc., etc. Of course all of the fun options will probably end up with you in court defending yourself against a million dollar civil suit by the burglar and his family for the injuries/pain and suffering caused while he was breaking into you place.

[Alvarez Kelly]

If you have to stay there and you are armed, then MO law is on your side if you should have to defend yourself.

Your best bet though is to file a police report on the theft that has already occurred get it all well documented.

Then I would install some game cameras that are very well secured in some not so obvious locations, this way you will have evidence if another break in occurs and hopefully enough good pictures to easily identify the burglar. Leave the rest up to the police and the insurance company.

Now of course there are less nice options like bear traps beneath the break in points, white phosphorous in glass jars over the door, shotgun strategically mounted with a trip wire, etc., etc. Of course all of the fun options will probably end up with you in court defending yourself against a million dollar civil suit by the burglar and his family for the injuries/pain and suffering caused while he was breaking into you place.
He's not in MO.

[mozeppa]

Now of course there are less nice options like bear traps beneath the break in points, white phosphorous in glass jars over the door, shotgun strategically mounted with a trip wire, etc., etc. Of course all of the fun options will probably end up with you in court defending yourself against a million dollar civil suit by the burglar and his family for the injuries/pain and suffering caused while he was breaking into you place.

exactly...pre-emptive traps on properties or booby traps are against the law if i recall correctly.
should a innocent get harmed by one, your sorry *** won't be sorry enough!

the jail will own you.

[Hamish]

The 3 S's certainly would be more satisfying,,,,,,,,,,

[Handloader109]

Yeah, no claymores:)
I've thought about game cameras. I don't know how much help from family I'll get recovering cards. I won't recover much if anything. I'm guessing most stuff is going to scrapper or a flea market buyer or maybe pawnshops (only a couple of good quality tools). I'm thinking about cell phone based alarm. Simply safe looks like a good option as it would call cops, I can delay audible alarm for a bit to allow cops to get close.
Anyone who has used them?
You guys are thinking too much like me. I feel like holing up in the house with a book waiting for the guys to show. There are a Lot of swamp close by.

[StolzerandSons]

He's not in MO.
I apologize I misread the original post, I saw MO instead of MS.
Here's the MS version:

Mississippi has a castle law with a “stand-your-ground” clause. The state’s statute justifies the use of deadly force to prevent a felony from being committed against a person, including the defense of himself and his home or the defense of another person.
The state’s statute states, in part:
(1) The killing of a human being by the act, procurement, or omission of another shall be justifiable in the following cases:
(e) When committed by any person in resisting any attempt unlawfully to kill such person or to commit any felony upon him, or upon or in any dwelling house in which such person shall be;
(f) When committed in the lawful defense of one's own person or any other human being, where there shall be reasonable ground to apprehend a design to commit a felony or to do some great personal injury, and there shall be imminent danger of such design being accomplished;



The rest of my post about cameras and police and insurance applies no matter which state you live in.

[Ickisrulz]

I would recommend insurance and a monitored wireless alarm system if possible.

[Plate plinker]

Cameras don't get yourself hemmed up over some turds.

[BrassMagnet]

Cameras don't get yourself hemmed up over some turds.


Good advice.

They don't cost lost sleep, either.
Do cover likely parking areas.

[gbrown]

Sorry to hear about your dilemma, man. I could offer solutions, but it would probably end me up where I don't care to be. The scumbags that hang around are always after our stuff. We just have to be aware of the fact that that they exist and want what we have. Sad state of affairs. Just like our citizens that are looking for something for nothing, they are out there. I want my stuff, but not anyone else's. Again, sorry for your loss.

[country gent]

Hidden cameras will show who it is and give plate numbers if your lucky wether they hold up in court I dont know. Hiding out waiting is also an option but do you really want that on your consience after wards of maiming killing someone? Booby Traps will definitly come back to haunt you. Another easy one to add with the cameras inside on drawer pulls, knobs, handles, or other areas normally touched put a small dab of prussian Blue ( Scraping ink Dykem 109) in blue red or yellow this never dries and once on hands spreads to gear shifts, steering wheels clothes, anything touched marking the culprit for easy ID. Soap and water wont touch it alchlol or actone will.

[1911cherry]

I have a friend who does monitored alarm systems in Ms, are you north or south of I-20?

[gew98]

In my AO this is fairly sarce as we shoot first and ask questions later. friend of mine whom has a home in Rineyville has had continual tresspassing and once he moved out and tried to sell it they literally stripped the home bare . He went to the extent of putting up a fence and the scumbags tresspassing called the law on him and accused him of boobytrapping his woods. He was dealing with white trash and local yokels likely related to the perps.
Had a "local" tresspassing a fair bit and I finally caught him...he was more of a poacher than anything. I disarmed him , smashed his scope and handed him back his rifle with the admonition that poaching on my property is hazardous to your health. Not a problem since. At work in the past three weeks my super has put 5 people in jail as he sets out game cameras and has caught them stealing copper so brazenly ... the last guy came around on a sunday at 3:30pm right after we left and looked around a wee bit leaving an awesome mugshot and license plate. He retunred at 6:30pm and provided all the same and some awesome pics of him climbing the connex and kicking off spools of wire and loading them up. Fugger had several outstanding warrants and was suspected of numerous break ins in rural grayson and hardin counties. The van was registered to a biatch he was living with and they found him in short order like the others. When our problems of missing wire first arose the cameras went out. And when the first bunch got pegged it was proven they had been stealing wire for at least 2 weeks before the shortages were found. They were a bunch of tile guys subbed out by the flooring company charging time at night and doing nothing but stealing !.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Catch a few rattlers and leave them in the place and then leave making a real show about leaving.Robert

[DougGuy]

Well, if you plan to lay in wait for them, it's premeditated already.. Sucks but it is what it is. Should they wake you up while you sleep at the shop, and you have to defend yourself, it is what it is... Hard call to make really, and won't really be sure one way or the other until after the fact. I think cameras and hitting pawn shops and finding some of the loot and tracing them that way is much better, but if they don't get caught before they come back, oh well, it is what it is..

[shoot-n-lead]

Well, if you plan to lay in wait for them, it's premeditated already.. Sucks but it is what it is. Should they wake you up while you sleep at the shop, and you have to defend yourself, it is what it is...

If they break-in and force you to defend yourself...matters not if you were asleep or not. You are within your rights to be present, armed, mentally prepared to defend yourself and awake, on your property.

However, that is not the wisest course to pursue.

[MaryB]

Paint bombs with that pain they use for bank robberies, along with a pepper spray bomb. Then after the alarm gets to the cop let them know the guys are going to be covered in purple...

[Rufus Krile]

Some of the new game cameras will call your cell phone with the picture... Then you could call the local gendarmery with ready made mug shots while they're still in the shop. Makes the officers lives so much easier...

[Handloader109]

Thanks guys. No, won't won't be laying in wait to eliminate the cause. At most would be cling the cops. Want them caught. Only if I drove up on them and really had to defend myself would I use force. Law won't let you win otherwise. Cameras might be best choice. Funny, worried about this two years ago when I had a house full of stuff and wasn't around enough. Never a problem then.

[pmer]

My advice would be to go with an alarm system. Video is a little after the fact IMO for this situation. Find an alarm company and have it done right the first time. If you want to catch them I'd have the horn turned off. Also turn off the LED lights on the motion detectors and cover the key pads so light can't be seen from them.

At the monitoring company have them call/dispatch police first then call you and close by family. Let them know of the alarm so they can disarm it for the police.

Too bad it comes to this, hopefully it soon stops for you.

[Gator 45/70]

SB&S
The B stands for Backhoe

[jonp]

Infrared game cameras. They even make some that will upload over cell and you can download once a day to watch on your computer.

[ksfowler166]

exactly...pre-emptive traps on properties or booby traps are against the law if i recall correctly.
should a innocent get harmed by one, your sorry *** won't be sorry enough!

the jail will own you.
Well I can think of one way around that here in Kansas. If I lived in the country and I had a furharvesters license I could set some "coyote" traps (open season on them) around my property and I think a #3 double longspring (7" jaw spread) with an earth anchor and 1/8" GAC cable would deter most people. The only way they would take the trap with them is if they had a winch, shovel, or cable cutters.

[ksfowler166]

Well I remember when our house got broken into my father sitting on the deck with an DPMS AR-15 for a few nights afterwards. So you are by no means alone.

As for practical advise I can make your building dam near burglar proof but that would probably be more money than it is worth. Basically fortify every possible entrance (window,doors, ect) so they can not enter than use a mixture of motion senor alarms inside and alarm the doors and windows. Make sure to hook up your alarm system to a roof mounted klaxon and strobe light. The cameras are also a good idea but don't keep anyone from entering.