Thursday I was sitting in the chair waiting for the mail and napped for just a few. Woke up, checked the mail and it hadn't run yet. Busy time of the year and it's past 1:00. I fight the urge to catnap again and a little later I hear the mail lady honking the horn. Two packages arrive and I opened them.
One had old Orion 14X70 that was discontinued about '99. I took the EBay special to the back door glass to steady them in order to fine tune the focus, but the sun is shining out of the south, so off to the back deck.
I get them focused & I'm looking around when I see my Billy goat "Elvis" look towards the southeast where I have an old trailer and a little shop covered in galvanized tin. So I throw up the new glass to take a peek, thinking maybe a deer or dog, and lo and behold I see a young man walking down the drive just before he passes in front of the first trailer.
I scan to behind the trailer and he walks by w/o looking and goes right between the old trailer and shop. I walk inside leave the glass and grab the phone and the 45.
I walk down and as I get close I can hear him scrounging around inside the shop. I pick up the pace walk around back just in time to see him moving for the hole from the peeled back tin.
I look at him standing inside and holler, "You finding everything OK?"
This tweeker says, "I'm just looking. I do a little antique-N."
I tell him, "Sounds like a sweet deal when you aren't paying for what your selling" and I point the 45 at him and tell him to have a seat.
"Please sir, don't call the cops I'll never come back."
Well, he shouldn't have been there helping himself in the first place.
I thought about his impassioned plea whilst I dialed three digits.
"911, what's your emergency?"
"I found a guy had broken into my shop & I'm holding him at gunpoint."
"You're on the site with a weapon?"
"Yeah, and if he makes a move towards me and that hole I'm gonna shoot him"
This rat had parked up at the top of the driveway and walked down. He claimed it wasn't his car, yet one of the deputies found a bill of sale in le crappebox Pontiac. The roughly early 20 sumpthin' kid had a pair of handcuffs on his person, a wallet and money, but no ID.
Inside the car was used power tools, a marching band xylophone, clothes and various other items loaded up in his car, but his key wouldn't open the trunk. I pointed out where he'd bent the top of the back seat getting into the trunk from the inside. The deputy said they'd be able to get into it at impound.
I commented that he'd probably be out by Monday and one deputy said that when he was released he wouldn't be able to snag the car out of impound because he never registered as the owner.
I filled out a report and they took him away.
Chalk one up for Elvis, the county, me and my new glass.
In the state where I live Id' have been arrested and, quite likely, he'd have been released.
Score one for the AR police dept as well imo.
Nice to have a helpful goat around!
Animals are sharp. I only have four goats, but I've had goats all my life. If they're looking they notice something different. Might be a cat/fox/dog/opossum/raccoon/ person, but there's something there and they don't pay any mind to birds or squirrels.
The grate state of Ahr-Can-saw, as quite a few others, also allows qualified citizens to carry concealed handguns. Unlike Tejas we do not have the shoot 'em on site sundowner law. We do have castle doctrine and can cut loose if found in the residence.
Citizens can use deadly force outside of the residence if threatened/fear for their life due to circumstances, but you can't shoot them in the back. If they are in retreat the threat is determined to no longer exist.
A few concealed carry individuals have defended themselves, to the demise of the assailant, within city limits that have ordnances enacted prohibiting loaded firearms. However, w/concealed carry permit you are exempt w/exception to carrying inside bank/courthouse/city/county/state/federal building, though you can carry on national forest property, but not inside buildings, schools and/or school activities and churches. They're working on repealing the church ban as gawd n guns are a popular theme.
I'm between two cities almost surrounded, yet still in the county. I can, because of country residence, step out back and discharge firearms to my heart's content until about 9:00 pm and then the neighbors can complain of the noise.
I try to maintain good relations in the 'hood.