Possible peeping Tom?

Satori · #1 12/31/2007, 09:21 AM

This is kind of crazy, but I think I have a regular visitor in the back yard. I keep finding Marlboro red cigarette butts in the back yard, but I don't know if they've been there since before we moved in, or if they came from one of the roofers and I'm just finding them one by one, or what. There's a wash on the other side of my back fence, and I found fresh foot prints in the dirt right up against my fence. AND, there's blood drips on the back patio. That could have been from our dog, maybe he caught himself on something sharp, but I haven't found any injuries on him.

Yesterday I set up my motion activated wireless camera pointing out to the back patio, and this morning I had a motion activated video from 30 minutes before I got up, but there was nothing on it. It wasn't the dog because he stays inside at night. Could have been a bird or something.

Anyway, it's pretty freaky to think someone might be coming into my back yard and staying long enough to smoke cigarettes. Other than the camera, I don't know what else to do other than to make sure all the doors and windows stay locked. Or it could just be my imagination. It's driving me nuts! I might start camping out there with the .45.

Nina51 · #2 12/31/2007, 09:27 AM

yikes! that's scary. is there any way you could hide a camcorder and hit "record" right before bedtime and get 4-6 hours of tape?

the only peepers we ever had were raccoons. i set the camcorder to tape and had about an hour of 3 raccoons raiding the bird feeders. they don't smoke so i didn't find any butts.

JokerGirl · #3 12/31/2007, 09:28 AM

I would keep your camera up for now. Does it have night vision on it? That might be helpful in the event that someone is hanging out in your backyard. Freshly smoked cigarette butts should be "clean" looking... the paper around it fades as it's been out in the weather.

Another thing you could do is get one of those driveway alarms and set it up right there so it can alert you if someone is there.

Make sure to keep all your blinds closed... there's nothing to peep if they can't see through the windows. Other than that... maybe contact them and let them know of your suspicions.

Jeffrey Porter · #4 12/31/2007, 09:28 AM

motion sensor gun maybe? if you don't see it, the bullet will and it should still be there when you get up. just a thought.

dkh0331 · #5 12/31/2007, 09:30 AM

Might be a peeping tom-ette, drooling over you Mike.

dinoman · #6 12/31/2007, 09:35 AM

Do you have any motion lights setup back there? Might be something else to help discourage anybody from hanging out back there if they are. Keep your camera up and keep blinds down and things locked up. Could be something completely simple as a bird packing in the cigarette butts but best to be safe. Also wouldn't hurt to maybe ask a neighbor or two in the area if they've seen anybody around or if they've had problems before.

Satori · #7 12/31/2007, 09:35 AM

The camera doesn't have night vision, but I've been leaving the patio light on over night. I put a brighter bulb in last night and tested it by going out there and "prowling" around. My motion triggered the camera and I could make out my face clearly.

I've tried to determine the age of the cigarette butts, but it's tough. I did find one yesterday that still had ash paper on the end and when I flicked it, it fell off, so I think that one was pretty fresh.

A driveway alarm might be useful.

dc · #8 12/31/2007, 09:37 AM

LOL, david could be right....I'd leave the camera up myself. Maybe they saw it and got scared off, either way it would be creepy.

Satori · #9 12/31/2007, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dc
LOL, david could be right....I'd leave the camera up myself. Maybe they saw it and got scared off, either way it would be creepy.

I did enable the LED on the front of the camera with the intention of drawing attention to it. If it is someone, just knowing they're on camera should be deterrant enough.

Satori · #10 12/31/2007, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dinoman
Also wouldn't hurt to maybe ask a neighbor or two in the area if they've seen anybody around or if they've had problems before.

That would require meeting my neighbors!

mr9iron · #11 12/31/2007, 09:45 AM

I would stick with the camera or other recording device for now. Does your dog not bark when someone comes near your yard? If you have someone entering your property unlawfully and you find them, then tell them to leave immediately or you will call the police. If you don't want to force confrontation with them then I would just call the police first. Make sure and get the most accurate description you can. i.e. Sex, race, height, weight, clothing, direction of travel and anything else that stands out. As for camping out with your pistol, I don't think that is a good idea. I would hate for you to be put in a situation that may end up in you having to present your weapon and use it. Whatever your choice is, stay safe.

dinoman · #12 12/31/2007, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Satori
That would require meeting my neighbors!

They could be nice!

Satori · #13 12/31/2007, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mr9iron
I would stick with the camera or other recording device for now. Does your dog not bark when someone comes near your yard? If you have someone entering your property unlawfully and you find them, then tell them to leave immediately or you will call the police. If you don't want to force confrontation with them then I would just call the police first. Make sure and get the most accurate description you can. i.e. Sex, race, height, weight, clothing, direction of travel and anything else that stands out. As for camping out with your pistol, I don't think that is a good idea. I would hate for you to be put in a situation that may end up in you having to present your weapon and use it. Whatever your choice is, stay safe.

The dog isn't a barker. The only time I've heard him bark is at the cat.

Besides, he stayes inside at night.

It's too cold to camp out there anyway.

I'll leave the camera up. Maybe it will either dissuade me or prove something. The blood drips on the patio really got me, though. I first noticed them yesterday before my dog was returned, and he was gone nearly a week.

mr9iron · #14 12/31/2007, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Satori
The dog isn't a barker. The only time I've heard him bark is at the cat. Besides, he stayes inside at night.

It's too cold to camp out there anyway.

I'll leave the camera up. Maybe it will either dissuade me or prove something. The blood drips on the patio really got me, though. I first noticed them yesterday before my dog was returned, and he was gone nearly a week.

You might contact the local police and make them aware of the situation and request some extra patrol in your neighborhood.

cwegescheide · #15 12/31/2007, 09:59 AM

We had a peeping Tom once.. We were having dinner and a guy was peeping in my sisters window. The neighbor called and said we had somebody peeping in the window. My dad DROPPED the phone and sprinted to the gun cabinet. There was a 10 acre field behind the house which the guy was running across. Dad shot at him a few times with his .357. The sherrif came and he told us if he would have hit him bring him in the house to make it look like an intruder. TRUE STORY.

This was probably 20yrs ago though. Never forget it. What a trip.

Satori · #16 12/31/2007, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mr9iron
You might contact the local police and make them aware of the situation and request some extra patrol in your neighborhood.

I've considered that. On your end, is that a pretty common request?

mr9iron · #17 12/31/2007, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Satori
I've considered that. On your end, is that a pretty common request?

Yes it is. But I live in a city of about 10,000 people so were a smaller more personable department. It's not uncommon for people to go on vacation and ask us to keep an eye on their house for them from time to time.

J. Montgomery · #18 12/31/2007, 10:33 AM

Maybe it's a neighbor's kid sneaking off to smoke cigarettes (drink, smoke something else, etc . . . ) away from the parents house?

Satori · #19 12/31/2007, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by J. Montgomery
Maybe it's a neighbor's kid sneaking off to smoke cigarettes (drink, smoke something else, etc . . . ) away from the parents house?

Probably not. I have a 6 foot wood fence they would have to climb over to get into my yard. Seems like a lot of trouble for a kid looking for a place to smoke.

BethanyM · #20 12/31/2007, 10:37 AM

^^ That's what i was thinking. I used to have to smoke behind a neighbors yard and I couldn't take the butts back with me. That would have been evidence!! I also did this at friends houses when they were underage too. At that age we never really thought about what the neighbors thought of it. As long as they weren't friends or acquaintances of our parents it was a good place to hide.

edit:
well that fence changes my theory. I am blank now.

Satori · #21 12/31/2007, 10:38 AM

The cigarette butts are actually in my yard, near the patio.

Ritten · #22 12/31/2007, 11:44 AM

Mike, are you sure your puppy got out of the yard and your neighbor didn't take him?

Satori · #23 12/31/2007, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ritten
Mike, are you sure your puppy got out of the yard and your neighbor didn't take him?

Not entirely. That thought did cross my mind, but the back gate was pried open. The people in that house are all young and "gangsterish" with people coming and going all the time. I've seen cops parked in their car twice on my street. I'm sure it was their house they were watching.

Satori · #24 12/31/2007, 11:57 AM

But then again, I've always been suspicious of all my neighbors no matter where I've lived.

Sk8r · #25 12/31/2007, 12:00 PM

I would suggest you have a talk with the police, so somebody has it on record there's a problem. I'd suggest you think through what you'd do if somebody invaded your house. But don't think of shooting somebody on your patio. That doesn't count as house.

If the cops are watching your neighbors, your info might actually be valuable to them.

And talking to some of your more reliable neighbors, comparing notes, and getting together with the cops---[we actually had a neighborhood meeting with the police in one neighborhood I was in] can help focus suspicion where it belongs. When we all met we discovered some apparently suspicious behaviors weren't [two cousins lived across the street from each other and were trading supervision of each others' teens] and we discovered we had gun-running activity behind us, including shots fired through a window from a car driving across the BACK lawn. The cops did get them. And the cops knowing who was what in the neighborhood I think was a help to them, too.