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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To call the police on this family?

358 replies

catofdoom · 09/07/2019 12:53

I live on a dirt road. It's single track and very windy. This particular part has a sheer drop off to the ocean.

Driving home with ds yesterday afternoon and out of nowhere two kids (between 10 and 12 I think) jump out at me and start pelting my car with water balloons. Trying to get them through the driver's window. (Luckily they didn't.)

They are my next door neighbours. They're only here for a month in the summer though.

It scared the absolute shit out of me. How I didn't crash in to a tree or go off the road I don't know.

I stopped and told them what a horrible thing to do it was and how dangerous it could have been. They laughed at me and ran off.

I drove home, turned around and drove back to go and speak to their parents (I'd seen the car home.)

Coming back they did it again!

I carried on past their house to go and sit further up the road and have a think. DH then came home and they did it to him too! He got out of the car and they ran off, their Mother was outside, dh told her what they'd been doing and she walked off and slammed the door in his face.

Turns out they did it to my brother in law the day before. They've been sat by the road with a big bucket of water balloons for a couple of days. Their Mother must have know, the only windows of the house and the porch look down at the road.

Anyway, so since we've had no apology. If it were my son I'd have marched him round there furious to apologise.

I want to lodge a complaint with the police (I've already spoken to the local policeman but he's not on duty until tomorrow night.) DH thinks we shouldn't stir things up. I think they could do with a talking to, I'm annoyed their parents clearly don't give a shit. Plus, if it happens again they could cause a nasty accident.

So I guess it's more of a - what would you do?

Also, we're in the States in an extremely low crime area (one burglary in 10 years) so I won't be wasting police time, they'd actually be thrilled to have something to do rather than sit on the side of the road trying to catch speeders. Grin

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MissConductUS · 13/07/2019 18:30

Your boat looks fabulous and great fun!

DH grew up on the water and his family always had various boats. He's now soured on them as his father made him do most of the maintenance, cleaning, painting, etc. but he did enjoy them.

My theory is that the cowbag mum next door is forcing her kids to dig a tunnel over to your house so that they can come in and vandalize at will. That's why you haven't seen them outside. Grin

catofdoom · 13/07/2019 20:08

I don't think he even put two and two together that it was me. I didn't want to bring it up as there was a lot of people there at the time.

I walked past their house today and their bank and path is COVERED in poison ivy. Karma is a bitch! Grin

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catofdoom · 13/07/2019 20:10

@MissConductUS I actually loathe sailing. As does ds. It was DH's old boat when he was a teenager though and he was so over the moon to get the chance to own it again, amongst the five billions boats he's owned it was always his favourite.

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catofdoom · 13/07/2019 20:13

It's got a very nice inside though so I'll be persuaded to go on it occasionally if there's enough wine.

To call the police on this family?
To call the police on this family?
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catofdoom · 13/07/2019 20:14

I want something to happen where I have to call the coastguard. We had to recently for an even more batshit crazy story and two of them were the most good looking men I've ever seen.

I turned in to a dribbling fucking idiot.

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MissConductUS · 13/07/2019 21:14

and two of them were the most good looking men I've ever seen.

I turned in to a dribbling fucking idiot.

Why do you get all of the hunky men in Maine? The cops I see here are either over 50, women or not exactly movie star material.

It must be the lobster.

Treaclepie19 · 14/07/2019 05:41

It sounds so lovely where you are.
Not sure about the snakes though!

Samarie123 · 14/07/2019 05:50

I would too. And chuck bird food on their roof to give them an early morning wakeup call.
Or film them and report

SchadenfreudePersonified · 14/07/2019 12:49

Doesn't everyone die in Maine or have I read too many crime novels ?

Everyone dies everywhere pizzaeater.

Just Maine and Midsomer (and anywhere that Jessica Fletcher is visiting) seem to kill them off faster.

Weezol · 14/07/2019 19:18

I think we need to hear the batshit coastguard story.

Treaclepie19 · 14/07/2019 19:59

@catofdoom tell us more about your lovely island 😍❤

catofdoom · 14/07/2019 21:54

@Weezol

This guy bought our old boat.

Initially he asked to pay it off in instalments over two years. Nope.

A month later he came back with the money. $10,000. The boat was out of the water for the winter at the local boat yard. He did not a stitch of work on it over the winter didn't come out to see it once.

Come May he wants to launch it. Comes to the boatyard and goes ballistic because the cover has blown off a bit and snow has got in. Yells at dh. DH points out he sold the boat and boat ownership entails some care over the winter, especially with a wooden boat.

I've googled him at this point and found out he's actually been charged with animal cruelty twice for leaving over 20 horses to die without food and water. So he's an asshole.

He gets the boat launched (against dh and boatyards advice is it's blowing half a gale and monsooning.)

He then immediately sails off to a nearby town. Doesn't give the boat time to swell. Doesn't do the days of maintenance that anybody should do. Several people tell him the engine needs checking/oil change etc and that also it's far too windy and out of the wrong direction. For an experienced sailer it would be hard, this guy had never sailed a boat in his life.

He took off with no charts, even a phone! He hits a ledge 5 minutes out of the boat yard. Rings dh (on his girlfriend's phone.) Screams at dh.

DH goes out to help. Guy screams at him that he's going to sue us. DH leaves.

Over the next few hours the girlfriend keeps timing ds and the local boatyard/water taxi in an increasing state of distress. The boat is sinking, she's sea sick and terrified. Every time someone goes out the guy flips at them and her.

After about 6 hours (and the boat is really taking on water fast at this point) I tell dh and the other guys that we need to get her off so we call the coastguard. They come out in a HUGE boat and a smaller boat. About 20 of them!

They get her off the boat and she leaves the island in her car.

They stay with the guy and the boat (he knows if he leaves it's likely to be claimed by someone else as salvage) until the tide is ok for a rescue. He's then escorted off the island by the coastguard, they drive him to the ferry. This is largely because it's been found out that the day before he overtook a school bus with its lights on a flag out (a serious offence here, there were kids crossing he nearly hit.)

The island police informed the state troopers and they were waiting for him to come off the boat on the mainland.

So then he comes back in a few days, apparently screaming around the boat yard threatening to beat up dh. DH (Hmm) goes to the boatyard. In all fairness, I was terrified he'd come to our house. All of the burly workmen are there so he doesn't say shit.

Next day the girlfriend rings dh crying. Turns out SHE bought the boat with her kid's college fund but both names were on the contract. He's dumped her. For being 'too fat.' (Cunt.)

She asks DH to change the contract to her name. He couldn't. She's asks him to buy it from her. No bloody way.

Next week their both back at the boatyard (there was a big bill to pay and I'm sure he got back with her purely to get that paid.)

He's screaming at her, losing it, threatening her. People intervene and she leaves in her car.

Guy sails off. In thick fog. Still no charts, no phone and no sailing knowledge.

And that's the last anyone has seen of the boat!! Shock

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catofdoom · 14/07/2019 21:57

I wish there was an American equivalent of the freedom program I could point her too.

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Patroclus · 14/07/2019 22:04

I think it was whats left of the dad in the weird cart.

catofdoom · 14/07/2019 22:09

@Treaclepie19 it's rather lovely usually. We have two little shops and a cafe. There's two playgrounds and a lovely community centre where we all meet up.

In the summer we have an ice cream shop (it's super cool and retro like a real 40's diner) and an art gallery.

Pretty much everyone is friends. You have to be. People help each other out so much, when my Dad fell ill and I had to get back to the UK immediately our next door neighbour (the other side Grin) I'd only met twice leant us the money for airfares.

People do battering a lot here. We swap eggs for having our driveway salted in the winter, DH does chainsawing for car maintenance.

I miss London a bit. But being able to never lock our doors or get things from the shop when you've forgotten your money is brilliant.

We have quite a lot of ferries a day. Less in the winter. It's a 20 minute crossing.

I love things like when someone is ill it has a baby everyone sets up a meal train and lunch and dinner is brought to your house for a few weeks.

That's an American thing that's happens other places too, as some of the others thing I mentioned may be too.

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catofdoom · 14/07/2019 22:12

People barter a lot. Not batter. Grin

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Whosorrynow · 14/07/2019 22:16

Bloody hell you don't do things by half do you 😱

Treaclepie19 · 14/07/2019 22:20

@catofdoom that sounds so flipping lovely 😍
My family live down the road, we've had a miscarriage, a newborn and lost a baby (TFMR) and nobody has ever brought us food 😂
It sounds really beautiful 😍

dontfluffthefluffer · 14/07/2019 22:46

Have been following this since you posted (and yes, hope dishy policeman gives them a good rollicking!) but have now been spending my time in the bath looking by at all the many beautiful islands around the area. I think this is where I need to be, it sounds brilliant.

What took you from the UK to there if that's not too outing?

MissConductUS · 15/07/2019 13:33

That's an epic tale about the boat. Smile

But no fun at all for you at the time. If the boat was taking on water after hitting the ledge did the CG wind up towing it back to the boat yard? I guess they must have repaired it for him if he was able to sail off into the fog hopefully never to be seen again.

Passing a stopped school bus like that is an extremely serious offense. I think it's an automatic suspense of your license in NY.

The battering bartering no doubt contributes to the low rate of buggery burglary. Grin

Weezol · 15/07/2019 15:33

Patroclus Foook - it's entirely plausible. Murders always seem to happen in places where 'nothing ever happens'. However, the family do not 'keep themselves to themselves' nor are the 'the kindest people. Literally give you the shirt off their back', do on balance I suspect Dad is back in Kentucky drinking a lot of bourbon with his feet up and enjoying Ladies of The Interweb.

catofdoom · 15/07/2019 22:54

He frantically tried to wave me down today and looked really angry but I'd just found out one of my best friends is in a coma and no hope of coming out so I really didn't have the head space to speak to him.

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TooManyPaws · 15/07/2019 23:06

Hoping for a miracle for your friend and sending you hugs, OP.

catofdoom · 16/07/2019 01:35

I'm watching the sun set on the last day of her life and quite honestly falling the fuck apart.

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catofdoom · 16/07/2019 01:37

This all seems so trite and meaningless now. DH is working late and DS is trying to be sweet but he's 5 and a bit of a dickhead. I've never felt so far from home. This is when living abroad really kicks you in the ass.

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