Vandalized Christmas decorations
 

I am new to this forum and I have a concern. My husband went out to take down our Christmas lights and found that someone overnight had taken a wire cutters and cut them all. Our neighbor down the street had wooden reindeer out front of his house and someone (probably the same person) broke the legs off of them. Here's my question...what purpose does Community Watch Patrol serve when vandalism is occurring like this in neighborhoods? I am in Silver Lake and between the graffiti on the walls, the teenagers running around and now this, we are not putting anymore items outside nor are we decorating for Christmas next year. I think considering the amount of vandalism that's occurring these drivers need to be more observant or, better yet, hire some that aren't 80 years old and up.

gocubsgo, so sorry to read of the problems in your neighborhood. Whomever has done the damage will be pleased to know that you will not be decorating for Christmas next year. Another Grinch victory, unfortunately!

Well, these lights were very expensive and if this is going to occur again, I'll put my tree by the window and that's it.

That is a shame that your lights were vandelized. I will pray for these and others that think they can do whatever they want to others' property. I do hope that you will reconsider for next year. We don't want "them" to win this one.

Happy and healthy New Year.

Wait until next year!

A phrase a Cub fan can understand....:pray:

Seriously, too bad about your lights.

gocubsgo ... I hope you didn't misunderstand my previous reply. I totally understand your frustration.

Next year, keep the string of lights on all the time. Then, anyone who dares to cut the wires will be roasting on an open fire, so to speak.

Sorry to hear about your lights and understand your frustration.

A very weird occurrance in our neighborhood on Christmas Eve between 6pm and midnight. Someone took 6 candles out of our neighbor's display of luminarias. Just the candles and not all that she had out. Very bizarre! All the ones not near windows were taken. Kinda creepy that someone is snooping around after dark and on Christmas Eve.

We haven't ever had vandalism in Hadley where we lived before or in the new neighborhood we live now. In fact this is the first I have heard of any vandalism of this sort anywhere here. You have someone writing graffitti too? On homes? That is awful.

Now that I think of it, last year cars were being broken into in a neighborhood south of Spanish Springs and I think I remember they caught the younger culprits.

Cameras installed on fronts of houses are powerful weapons in this kind of thing.

Do you think it might be a youngster living with a neighbor in Silver Lake? Does anyone suspect who it might be?

No one is suspected...it could be anyone. There was a house on our street that had a family of 5 kids living there since July, all under the age of 10! The Developer finally booted them out (I hope) and we're thinking it was retaliation on the neighborhood for complaining about them. Maybe...who knows who it was...paperboy at 3AM? The gates are not secure and anyone can drive in or walk in at anytime. The graffiti was being done on the golf cart bridge and various walls throughout SSprings. They supposedly caught these people but sometimes I really wonder.

We all regret the vandalism both to your property and others. I do however think your suggestion that Community Watch should have prevented it and might have if they hired younger people is unfair. They are not able to be everywhere at once no matter what their senority.

This happens all over in every neighborhood of our wonderful nation. We once had a neighborhood boy pee on our brick front porch. His mom said no different than a dog peeing in your yard so get over it!

Yup! Life goes on and I guess I can think of worse.....

Vandelism
 

A TV was taken from a home in Sanibel. Someone cut the screen on the lanai and took the TV. We would not have known anything about it except the couple it happened were golfing with us and mentioned it.

Consider squirrels
 

In regard to cut wires, consider squirrels. You will find dozens of videos on YouTube showing squirrels in attacking Xmas lights. The cuts resemble those made by wire cutters. However, unless you have very large squirrels in your neighborhood, I doubt if they broke the reindeers' legs off.

Community Watch? Really
 

Community Watch is a deterant and have no law enforcement powers. Those who are critical about criminal activity (which is what vandalism is) should ask the police for special attention if it is so rampant in the north end. The bigger question might be which neighbors of yours have visitors that are assing up? I commend those who work as Patrol Drivers from Community Watch, and for minimum wage they do a great job IMHO.

PS, I wonder if someone trimmed the bushes and forgot about the lights? Just sayin! :ohdear:

By the way, did you call the police? If so it will be in the police blotter for Marion county in the Daily Sun. I would have called them. I always read the police blotter. The Sun doesn't write stories about bad deeds generally, but they do put stuff from the police blotter in.

I am just guessin' that the vandalism was a mean retaliation against people who they think got them evicted. Which they should have been evicted. Kids can't live in The Villages under the age of 19. I hope since they are gone, the trouble left with them. Hope so anyway.

Well, it appears the culprits are my neighbors who moved in about a year and a half ago. Him and his wife are about as odd as odd can get. They pulled in their driveway a couple of hours ago and were pointing at our bushes and laughing. He also likes to peek in windows so after finding that out by catching him one morning outside my window, I warned a few of my decent neighbors about him. He retaliated and cut my lights. Time to put up a motion light or a camera...or a For Sale sign.

You should report this individual to the authorities! That being said...I have a friend up north, who has another friend whose been stalked by a neighbor for years. They finally moved---don't know if this is still going on now. BUT the stalker watched every move they made and did some really bizarre things. In this effort--the person reported it and apparently the police told her that there wasn't anything they could do. THAT to me was unacceptable. These types of folks are socio-paths which can escalate to something worse.

BTW...how did you find out it was your "unusual" neighbor????

He sat in his driveway, pointed at the bushes where my lights were and they both started laughing...pretty clear what happened.

It is a real shame that one has to pull up stakes, leave a house they love, and move because of the neighbors. If they are found by the authorities to be doing this, they should move.

Have problem here in SOMD where some people constantly truf the grass along the road. They were told in general terms not to do these things in Community Newsletter, only makes them more want to do it. Keep fixing lawn along road and always ruined.

What does "truf the grass along the road" mean? I am from Maryland and have never heard that term.

As for the laughing neighbor who is also a peeping Tom, that deserves a phone call or personal visit to the Sheriff's office. Pointing and laughing is no proof that he cut the wires but peeping into windows is a crime.

Wow! I live in Silver Lake and I've never seen any graffiti or gangs of teenagers running around. Almost everyone on my street has Christmas decorations out and no one has had a problem.

Turf the grass means that they drive their cars in the grass, tearing up the grass, and leaving tire thread marks.

The graffiti has been mostly on the golf cart bridge. There has also been golf carts being stolen in the middle of the night right out of driveways so make sure your car and cart keys are inside your house.