12-05-05
1:00 a.m. I was at home on ebay when the dialup connection went down. I redialed and the server at work didn't answer so I figured there was a power outage.
I drove over there to reset the web server, to which I've been intending but have yet to attach an uninterruptable power supply. Upon arrival I noticed the streetlamp dimmed much from what I'm accustomed. I thought maybe one leg of the 3 phase was down and the draw on the one side was effecting the outside lamp. Upon consideration I don't think that possible.
Anyway, while I was fishing for my keys a car pulled up to our inner gate, at 1:00 a.m... We're about a quarter mile off the road so someone pulling in at that time is just odd. It occured to me that possibly the power was cut in an attempt to shutdown the alarm system. I walked towards the vehicle. I couldn't understand why someone trying to burglarize us would drive through the previously closed gate. The inner gate is about 20 yards from the door, by the time I made 5 yards in that direction that truck was in reverse and tearing down the driveway.
I knew for certain something was not right.
I hopped in my Audi and followed, thinking to at least get a tag number, and caught up fast. The Audi is a turbo and while not a racer it is quick and handles well.
I got close enough to read the tag and saw there were two people in the truck. We were running about 70 m.p.h. when the driver of the red S10 slammed on the brakes fishtailed across the road but somehow stayed out of the ditch. I had to brake hard too. While the abs pulsed the brake pedal I wondered what the hell that guy was thinking. He nearly wrecked and nearly wrecked me.
I suppose now that the reckless manuever was intended to prevent me from reading the tag. Well no luck there buddy. I had the tag memorized instantly.
So he did a 180 and peeled out down the road in the opposite direction. It ticked me off. Very uncool. I followed, but hung back a safer distance. I probably should have stopped to call the police with the tag number, but I thought maybe the truck was stolen or who knows what given the lunatic maneuver I'd just witnessed.
The chase was on, kind of. I really didn't speed much in order to keep them in sight. The truck though was weaving all over, twice speeding very fast then turning around then speeding very fast the other way. Dumb. They turned off onto a back road that I knew was a loop. Also dumb. When they came back to Longbranch Road the driver, still nuts, fishtailed off into a driveway. This time they nearly hit another vehicle on the road. They tore off again.
I stopped to speak with the guy they nearly wrecked, told him the tag number while asking him to call it in. Which I heard later that he did. Thanks guy !
The pickup was now far ahead, but I'm stubborn so I kept on trailing. It was worrisome that we were headed toward town. They ran the light at the highway, nearly clipped an 18 wheeler. When I passed that the driver had his interior light on and was on a cell phone, possibly calling the police or not. I don't know, but I wished I had a phone with me. They turned off the highway after only about quarter mile then finally put it into a small ditch. This gave me time to catch up.
When I did the passenger jumped out yelling "WTF do you want." Well I got out then told him I wanted to know why they were running. I wasn't very polite. Anyway the driver got out too but he tried to speak in a kindlier manner. He is deaf, it was difficult for us to understand each other. I asked for their names, got one from the passenger but doubted it was true. Gave them mine. Argued with the passenger a bit, he insisted on telling lies and trying to bullshit me. A shame. Neither of the guys were violent, and I was glad of it. They didn't have anything of mine in the truck. Neither admitted to having a license.
The driver was scared, not so much of me I think but of going to jail. I decided truck was not stolen when I moved to view the tag again and the driver attempted to conceal it with his legs. Unless he was a much better actor than driver that tag was tied to him or someone close. I insisted on seeing the registration, which was produced. It was in a womans name whom they named as a relative.
So there I was cold and aggravated with nothing to do but bitch, which I did. The guys were in their mid twenties. Jackasses.
I did not want to stand there half the night in the cold and I didn't want much to tangle with two guys either so I told them they should get the home because I was going to call someone. If they'd been straight up with me I'd have still told them off but maybe not later called the police. I drove back to work.
When pulling in the 2nd time I saw they had pulled the power meter. The streetlamp was dim because the outer bulb of the mercury vapor lamp was broken, I suppose by stone or a pellet. They didn't get in the shop and if they had the alarm would have gone off anyway and the cameras seem to work better in dim light. The alarm, unlike the web server does have a UPS. I think probably one of them walked in then the other drove in to give his partner a ride out after I arrived.
So I called the sheriff. The dispatcher let me know they had already been stopped in Shelby. A deputy came out, I told him what happened. I did not press charges. They didn't have bad records. This charge would have been attempted burglary but since I didn't actually witness the act, probably a waste of time. They didn't seem to be mean people. I'm sure they had a terrible morning in the company of several police officers.
The power meter sparked more than I though it should when I tried to put it back in so I called the power company who sent someone by to fix it. I made it home at 4:00 am and couldn't sleep so I wrote this.