Just had a real good scare... Undercover officers at my door.

highasfvck

highasfvck

Well-Known Member
This morning I woke up to my door being pounded on so hard it was about to come off the hinges. I told my girlfriend to wait in bed and I go take a look out my peep hole. I see two young men fairly well built. Not knowing who they are or what they want I go out the garage instead of the front door, and lock the door behind me. I walk around to the front and in a loud tone ask what the problem is.

At this point they turn around and I notice their guns and badges and realize they are police officers. They are also in an unmarked truck. As my heart is racing they ask me why I threw a bunch of boxes in a dumpster that didn't belong to me.... LOL .... I immediately remembered a few days ago I had thrown bunch of empty boxes into an unmarked dumpster in my neighborhood after cleaning out my attic. There was nothing that I threw out that could be related to any other kind of illegal activity. Knowing this I'm sure some of the boxes probably had my name and address labels on them still and this is how they found me.

They then ask for my name and ID. My ID is still in the house so I start to go in to get it. The officers start to follow me into the garage and I politely ask if they could wait in the driveway outside of the garage. I go inside and tell my girlfriend what is going on and to not let them in the house under any circumstance if I don't come back in. I know you guys say rule #1 is to never talk to the police, but in this situation I want them away from my property as easily and quietly as possible. So I bring them my ID and I admit that the boxes were mine, but that I had no idea I was doing anything illegal because no signs were posted stating that I couldn't use the dumpster. It appeared to be for public use for people that live in the neighborhood. I have seen other people dump things there before and its not like I threw garbage on the side of the road. The officers seemed to think I had a little bit of an attitude and asked about it and I simply told them that I was startled because they were pounding on my door so early and didn't identify who they were right away.

After that all they did was give me a court summons to appear in court and leave. They told me it shouldn't be a big deal since I haven't been in trouble before, but they charged me with a "theft of service" which in my state is a 1st degree misdemeanor, apparently the same as a petit theft..... all for putting boxes in a dumpster. :wall:

I'm really just happy that they weren't here to ask about anything worse.... but I am kind of curious what to expect out of this. Is it even worth talking to a lawyer over something this small?
 
dam612

dam612

Well-Known Member
yea i doubt that charge will hold, like seriously? u threw garbage in someone elses garbage, hahaha i would have to hold back the laughs in court if i were you. I suspect some stupid fine
 
highasfvck

highasfvck

Well-Known Member
dam612 said:
yea i doubt that charge will hold, like seriously? u threw garbage in someone elses garbage, hahaha i would have to hold back the laughs in court if i were you. I suspect some stupid fine
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Yep, that's all I did. The paperwork they gave me stated that I "deprived the victim use of his dumpster valued at $350." Apparently suggesting that the owner of the dumpster pays $350 a month for it and that when I put some of my empty boxes in there, he couldn't get "full use" of his dumpster. I am definitely loling about it now, but I was scared shitless at first.

So I should contact a lawyer right away then? I did hesitate to admit guilt at first, but they threatened to take me in for questioning if I didn't want to cooperate right then and there.
 
jumboSWISHER

jumboSWISHER

Well-Known Member
idk if i would put out the money/troubles for a lawyer for just a 1stdegree misdemeanor
i would just admit you tossed a few boxes in there, thought it was harmless. if they didnt arrest you, they arnt going to most likely. the judge will slap you with a lil fee.idk about your state laws, but its under $500 and most likely falls under a civil matter, not criminal. its a petty crime, nothing to worry about. IMO worst case you'll pay the $350.
 
highasfvck

highasfvck

Well-Known Member
jumboSWISHER said:
idk if i would put out the money/troubles for a lawyer for just a 1stdegree misdemeanor
i would just admit you tossed a few boxes in there, thought it was harmless. if they didnt arrest you, they arnt going to most likely. the judge will slap you with a lil fee.idk about your state laws, but its under $500 and most likely falls under a civil matter, not criminal. its a petty crime, nothing to worry about. IMO worst case you'll pay the $350.
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If it's just a fine then I'm not worried and will just pay it. I just don't want to get put on probation or something stupid like that.

They charged me with "Theft of Service." In my state it's classified as a first degree misdemeanor punishable by up to $1000 fine and/or 1 year imprisonment. I just looked it up in the state statute book. I realize those are maximum penalities, but it's still something that concerns me.
 
jumboSWISHER

jumboSWISHER

Well-Known Member
yea. my brother just got charged a few weeks ago with a mallitious misdemenor in the first degree. he smashed a family members windsheild with a rock. witch is punishable up to $5000 and or 3 years imprisonment. he got 1 year probation, witch totally blows. but has nothing to do with drugs so no urine tests.
honestly though, i doubt you will get anything other then a fine. its petty, like shoplifting, or vandilism.
i think getting a lawyer and dragging it out could just make the judge come down hard.sometimes a simple " yea, i messed up." can be a better defense then any lawyer.
 
mrboots

mrboots

Well-Known Member
Wow, they sent out two detectives to investigate someone throwing boxes in a dumpster! The cops in my city would laugh in your face if you called them about some bullshit like that. You must have no crime where you live.

Maybe you could go talk to your neighbor whose dumpster it was an apoligize and throw him a few bucks or a case of beer or something and have him drop the charges. It would be cheaper than a lawyer, and you could make nice with your neighbor too. The last thing you want is neighbors pissed off at you, especially if you are doing something illegal in your house.
 
groovedaddy

groovedaddy

Well-Known Member
dam612 said:
yea i doubt that charge will hold, like seriously? u threw garbage in someone elses garbage, hahaha i would have to hold back the laughs in court if i were you. I suspect some stupid fine
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Here in Texas that is considered illegal dumping and is a $2500 fine or 90 days. Most businesses are forced to pay for a dumpster and there is nothing more aggravating than going to dump your trash and finding someone else has filled your dumpster. I've had this happen numerous times to the point that I had to rent a more expensive dumpster with a locking lid. Cost me another $100 per year! Any time I found someone's garbage and got their info off a shipping label or old mail, I would call them and give them the option of picking up their trash, paying for that weeks service or let the sheriff's department handle it! Put yourself in the shoes of the guy paying for the dumpster and you wouldn't be laughing.
 
highasfvck

highasfvck

Well-Known Member
mrboots said:
Wow, they sent out two detectives to investigate someone throwing boxes in a dumpster! The cops in my city would laugh in your face if you called them about some bullshit like that. You must have no crime where you live.

Maybe you could go talk to your neighbor whose dumpster it was an apoligize and throw him a few bucks or a case of beer or something and have him drop the charges. It would be cheaper than a lawyer, and you could make nice with your neighbor too. The last thing you want is neighbors pissed off at you, especially if you are doing something illegal in your house.
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I would love to do that, but it's not really my neighbors. This is a relatively new neighborhood and apparently the dumpster belongs to the developers. I didn't trespass onto a construction site or anything like that though, I know better, the dumpster was on an empty lot on the side of the road. I just pulled my truck up to it and threw the boxes in from the bed of my truck.

You'll really lol at this one, but I found out the detectives are a part of the Sheriff's offices "Solid Waste Division." Apparently all they do is investigate illegal dumping of waste.....
 
highasfvck

highasfvck

Well-Known Member
groovedaddy said:
Here in Texas that is considered illegal dumping and is a $2500 fine or 90 days. Most businesses are forced to pay for a dumpster and there is nothing more aggravating than going to dump your trash and finding someone else has filled your dumpster. I've had this happen numerous times to the point that I had to rent a more expensive dumpster with a locking lid. Cost me another $100 per year! Any time I found someone's garbage and got their info off a shipping label or old mail, I would call them and give them the option of picking up their trash, paying for that weeks service or let the sheriff's department handle it! Put yourself in the shoes of the guy paying for the dumpster and you wouldn't be laughing.
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I could see that concern if the dumpster was clearly at the location of someone elses business/property or if it had a sign posted that it wasn't for public use. However, that was not the case for me, it was on an empty lot, in MY neighborhood where I pay huge community fees that probably pay for the damn dumpster in the first place.
 
mrboots

mrboots

Well-Known Member
highasfvck said:
You'll really lol at this one, but I found out the detectives are a part of the Sheriff's offices "Solid Waste Division." Apparently all they do is investigate illegal dumping of waste.....
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Thats where the top graduates from the police academy go work, the soild waste division.
 
groovedaddy

groovedaddy

Well-Known Member
highasfvck said:
I could see that concern if the dumpster was clearly at the location of someone elses business/property or if it had a sign posted that it wasn't for public use. However, that was not the case for me, it was on an empty lot, in MY neighborhood where I pay huge community fees that probably pay for the damn dumpster in the first place.
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That is a little different situation. I was mainly letting dam612 know that it is definitely a crime and not funny if you are paying for the dumpster, although I do like his avatar!
 
skiweeds

skiweeds

Active Member
highasfvck said:
This morning I woke up to my door being pounded on so hard it was about to come off the hinges. I told my girlfriend to wait in bed and I go take a look out my peep hole. I see two young men fairly well built. Not knowing who they are or what they want I go out the garage instead of the front door, and lock the door behind me. I walk around to the front and in a loud tone ask what the problem is.

At this point they turn around and I notice their guns and badges and realize they are police officers. They are also in an unmarked truck. As my heart is racing they ask me why I threw a bunch of boxes in a dumpster that didn't belong to me.... LOL .... I immediately remembered a few days ago I had thrown bunch of empty boxes into an unmarked dumpster in my neighborhood after cleaning out my attic. There was nothing that I threw out that could be related to any other kind of illegal activity. Knowing this I'm sure some of the boxes probably had my name and address labels on them still and this is how they found me.

They then ask for my name and ID. My ID is still in the house so I start to go in to get it. The officers start to follow me into the garage and I politely ask if they could wait in the driveway outside of the garage. I go inside and tell my girlfriend what is going on and to not let them in the house under any circumstance if I don't come back in. I know you guys say rule #1 is to never talk to the police, but in this situation I want them away from my property as easily and quietly as possible. So I bring them my ID and I admit that the boxes were mine, but that I had no idea I was doing anything illegal because no signs were posted stating that I couldn't use the dumpster. It appeared to be for public use for people that live in the neighborhood. I have seen other people dump things there before and its not like I threw garbage on the side of the road. The officers seemed to think I had a little bit of an attitude and asked about it and I simply told them that I was startled because they were pounding on my door so early and didn't identify who they were right away.

After that all they did was give me a court summons to appear in court and leave. They told me it shouldn't be a big deal since I haven't been in trouble before, but they charged me with a "theft of service" which in my state is a 1st degree misdemeanor, apparently the same as a petit theft..... all for putting boxes in a dumpster. :wall:

I'm really just happy that they weren't here to ask about anything worse.... but I am kind of curious what to expect out of this. Is it even worth talking to a lawyer over something this small?
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wow i must say what fucking dickheads. i wouldnt pay for a lawyer for something minor but get a free court appointed lawyer if you can. i would just tell the truth and tell them exactly what you told us. i would probably plea no contest basically meaning it's a guilty plea but basically you had an excuse or didnt exactly know better. maybe even just say screw the lawyer and just straight up talk to the judge. dont worry though this shit is so minor. thats bullshit how they're labeling you as a petty theft. you didnt steal shit. so you used someone elses garbage, big deal, at least your being a good citizen and not throwing it in the streets or littering which ironically is probably even a lesser charge lol. i actually found out a neighbor was using my garbage can at work. i just let it be. sounds like cops in your area are real assholes. where i live they're too but if something like that happen they would probably just tell a person not to do it no more or next time there will be charges. good luck and sorry for your misfortune.
 
highasfvck

highasfvck

Well-Known Member
skiweeds said:
wow i must say what fucking dickheads. i wouldnt pay for a lawyer for something minor but get a free court appointed lawyer if you can. i would just tell the truth and tell them exactly what you told us. i would probably plea no contest basically meaning it's a guilty plea but basically you had an excuse or didnt exactly know better. maybe even just say screw the lawyer and just straight up talk to the judge. dont worry though this shit is so minor. thats bullshit how they're labeling you as a petty theft. you didnt steal shit. so you used someone elses garbage, big deal, at least your being a good citizen and not throwing it in the streets or littering which ironically is probably even a lesser charge lol. i actually found out a neighbor was using my garbage can at work. i just let it be. sounds like cops in your area are real assholes. where i live they're too but if something like that happen they would probably just tell a person not to do it no more or next time there will be charges. good luck and sorry for your misfortune.
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Thanks, ya they were kind of assholes. I mean it never dawned on me that I would get in trouble for putting garbage in a garbage bin lol.

I went back and took pictures of all sides of the dumpster to be able to show that there were no signs posted that said I couldn't dump anything in it. The only signs on it said "DO NOT PARK, DO NOT BLOCK" then it had one that said "CAUTION Do not fill above top of container" and underneath that it had a list of items that you were not allowed to place in the dumpster. I didn't throw any items in it that were on the list..
 
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