For those who are more knowledgeable in law than I am.....

[UNCC_99XJ]

Little bit of background info first....

The last day of school was today (thank god!!!). So the past couple of days, EVERYBODY'S been going around tagging others cars, just for fun. For those who might not be up to date on the "new hip lingo" us youngin's speak, when you tagg somebody's car, you take those special markers that are ment for writing on car windows (like you see on cars for sale on the side of the road) and you write verious stuff on the windows. Nothing to harm the vehicle in any way.....the stuff wipes right back off with a good window cleaner and a little bit of elbow grease.

Anywho, back to my question. Yesterday me and a friend of mine got this kid's car (sorta a friend of ours, sorta not) really good. We didn't write many words on there, just colored in his windows in a solid color. Today I have a voice mail on my cell phone stating "Don't be surprised if you're Jeep and [insert name of buddy]'s truck get egged sometime over the summer at 3 o'clock in the morning, you have nobody to blame but yourself".

My question is, would that not be vandalism???? Writing on his windows with a marker MENT TO DO THAT, that wipes right back off is all in humor, and will do no damage to his car in any way. But egging my Jeep will destroy my paint, especially since the sun comes up early now, and I don't get up till about 8 am, and I have a dark green Jeep that just absorbs heat from the sun. Thanks to all in advance. Just trying to get prepared for what might happen. As usual, any little bit of fun I try to have turns around and bites me in the ass.

-Tim

 

[red91]

2 words....

Malicious Mistchif. (SP?) misdameanor in just about every town in the US.

For both of you. This kid couldn't have been your friend..was he ?

 

[Rev Den]

Did you and your friend clean his windows for him? If not, you deserve whatever you get.

Had this been me, and I caught you, you WOULD be cleaning the window...or spending some quality time at the local PD station.

Grow up.

Rev

 

[red91]

Did you and your friend clean his windows for him? If not, you deserve whatever you get.

Had this been me, and I caught you, you WOULD be cleaning the window...or spending some quality time at the local PD station.

Grow up.

Rev

16-17 yrs old, lives on the East Coast...lucky you don't get shot back there.

When you tires come up cut, don't post..."MY GAWD I CAN'T BELIEVE IT !"

 

[TRNDRVR]

You pretty much screwed yourself. Lesson learned. I hope!!!

 

[Roll-over]

Agreed, one might argue spray paint on Mount Rushmore could be scrubbed off wouldn't harm the rock.

 

[Roll-over]

I'd just yank his lugnuts and let him figure it out.

16-17 yrs old, lives on the East Coast...lucky you don't get shot back there.

When you tires come up cut, don't post..."MY GAWD I CAN'T BELIEVE IT !"

 

[bjoehandley]

GUess I'm not the only one who wouldn't be crying for his truck either, Payback's a -----.

 

[Bent]

You pretty much screwed yourself. Lesson learned. I hope!!!

YUP! I hate when that happens.

 

[Bent]

GUess I'm not the only one who wouldn't be crying for his truck either, Payback's a -----.

....A female dog!

 

[5-90]

A little input from 5-90's wife - who has been a legal secretary and paralegal for the last 15 years and in the 70's went to the Police Academy.

My first thought is:

Track the cell phone call, tape record it and protect it as the evidence it is. Egging, as far as I am concerned goes beyond innocent pranks and heads into criminal intent. The fact that you have been told in advance what might happen, the person is well aware that your car will sustain damage, more than mere markers on the window. Intent is the key word here, intent to cause damage is a crime. I don't like people pulling pranks but raising the threat level does nothing to stem the pranks, it only increases their intensity and severity. It's called escalation of force and it is never pretty. If someone doesn't have the balls to say something to someone else's face then they are cowards when they threaten damage.

I was a single mom with two sons and I have watched similar stuff. I have even had to threaten a few of my sons' "friends" to stop the escalation, even before I met 5-90. Nowadays there is no innocent fun and with everyone believing that they have the right to have revenge there is simply too much chance that this harmless prank will become something more.

Enough of my ranting, it's time for everyone to grow up, apologize for the prank but protect yourselves against the chance that the "threatening" party is not mature enough to accept the apology. You might want to print out the criminal code for destruction of private property and put it in an obvious place on your Jeep. Not only does he then have the "intent", he has also been put on notice that his actions are against the law. It would be very difficult for the "egger" to have much standing in a court of law, whether criminally or civilly.

Hope this helps. If you want more legal information then PM 5-90.

I am woman, hear me roar!

Peace begins one person at a time.

Juls

 

[red91]

A little input from 5-90's wife -
I am woman, hear me roar!

Juls

GRRRRRRR......

ROCK ON !!

 

[DrMoab]

ROCK ON !!

X2!!!

 

[UNCC_99XJ]

A little input from 5-90's wife - who has been a legal secretary and paralegal for the last 15 years and in the 70's went to the Police Academy.

My first thought is:

Track the cell phone call, tape record it and protect it as the evidence it is. Egging, as far as I am concerned goes beyond innocent pranks and heads into criminal intent. The fact that you have been told in advance what might happen, the person is well aware that your car will sustain damage, more than mere markers on the window. Intent is the key word here, intent to cause damage is a crime. I don't like people pulling pranks but raising the threat level does nothing to stem the pranks, it only increases their intensity and severity. It's called escalation of force and it is never pretty. If someone doesn't have the balls to say something to someone else's face then they are cowards when they threaten damage.

I was a single mom with two sons and I have watched similar stuff. I have even had to threaten a few of my sons' "friends" to stop the escalation, even before I met 5-90. Nowadays there is no innocent fun and with everyone believing that they have the right to have revenge there is simply too much chance that this harmless prank will become something more.

Enough of my ranting, it's time for everyone to grow up, apologize for the prank but protect yourselves against the chance that the "threatening" party is not mature enough to accept the apology. You might want to print out the criminal code for destruction of private property and put it in an obvious place on your Jeep. Not only does he then have the "intent", he has also been put on notice that his actions are against the law. It would be very difficult for the "egger" to have much standing in a court of law, whether criminally or civilly.

Hope this helps. If you want more legal information then PM 5-90.

I am woman, hear me roar!

Peace begins one person at a time.

Juls

Thank you VERY much. That is exactly the input I was looking for. I expected some to make fun of me, and thats just fine with me. Thats all this was, was an innocent prank. And we all told him we were sorry and that it was a joke and not to get so bent out of shape about it. I even offered to let him come over to my house to wash the stuff off, but he refused. As far as tracking the cell phone call, no need. I know where it came from (caller ID is a wonderful thing), and have the message saved in my voice mail. Like you said, the fact that he can't do it face to face like a man, makes me think he really wouln't do anything, but i'd rather be prepared than go on and think everythings cool and he actually do something.

What started this all off was back over the winter when they were using salt on the roads, he road "obscene gestures" on my back window in the salt (Tim sucks ---- and f----r to name a couple) and I swore from that day on I would get him back somehow, some way. Others who have responded told me to "grow up". I agree completely, and yes the more I think about it, the more childish it was. I don't usually get back at people for things like this but here's the thing. Daddy bought him his $5,000 car, mommy pays him $80 to mow a yard less than 1/4 an acre in total size, he doesn't have to work, and mommy and daddy are going to pay his way through college...all 4 years. Where as I on the other hand, JUST finished my Junior year in H.S. today, have a part time job that I work damn hard at every day after school for 4 hours at least, 5-6 days a week, and took out a loan to get the first car I really wanted, which is my Jeep. And I take VERY good care of it. Yeah it gets muddy, but every weekend I get it washed up for the week and get it shining again. The fact that this kid just gets through life with mommy and daddy paying his way and buying his stuff finally got to me and I got even with him, and you know what?? It felt VERY good. So call me childish if you'd like. That's your opinion and you're entitled to it.

My other question is, if it's so illegal in tagging somebody's car like that, how come the seniors got away with it ALL WEEK and the 2 city police officers standing out in the parking lot, as well as the assistant principal who came up to me and said only "make sure you get to class on time guys" didn't do anything about it?

Once again thanks for the advice. If you got any more, by all means share. or if you'd like, PM me and i'll give you my e-mail addy and we can talk there.

As far as slashing my tires, that would be OK with me. I've been itching to get these POS's with no tred off for a looooooong time, and that would just give me an escuse to get some new ones.

 

[Rev Den]

Thank you VERY much. That is exactly the input I was looking for.

Someone who does not point the finger just at you?

but i'd rather be prepared than go on and think everythings cool and he actually do something.

Still should have thought about that BEFORE.

What started this all off was back over the winter when they were using salt on the roads, he road "obscene gestures" on my back window in the salt (Tim sucks ---- and f----r to name a couple) and I swore from that day on I would get him back somehow, some way.

So you admit that you are guilty of the escalation that Mrs 5-90 spoke of, and it was ok for yu...but not for him.

I don't usually get back at people for things like this but here's the thing. Daddy bought him his $5,000 car, mommy pays him $80 to mow a yard less than 1/4 an acre in total size, he doesn't have to work, and mommy and daddy are going to pay his way through college...all 4 years. Where as I on the other hand, JUST finished my Junior year in H.S. today, have a part time job that I work damn hard at every day after school for 4 hours at least, 5-6 days a week, and took out a loan to get the first car I really wanted, which is my Jeep. And I take VERY good care of it. Yeah it gets muddy, but every weekend I get it washed up for the week and get it shining again. The fact that this kid just gets through life with mommy and daddy paying his way and buying his stuff finally got to me and I got even with him, and you know what?? It felt VERY good.

So...the fact that he has money...and you don't, makes it OK?

My other question is, if it's so illegal in tagging somebody's car like that, how come the seniors got away with it ALL WEEK and the 2 city police officers standing out in the parking lot, as well as the assistant principal who came up to me and said only "make sure you get to class on time guys" didn't do anything about it?

Make me wonder if they will take your claims seriously, and why you pay taxes.

Once again thanks for the advice. If you got any more, by all means share.

Let it go...if anything does happen, let it go, chalk it up to leasson learned.

HTH

Rev

 

[Roll-over]

D@MN THIS THREAD!!! I just lost two more brain cells reading the legal stuff.... Let Hammurabi's law prevail. If he defaced anothers' property that is illegal, regardles of perminant or temporary, and regardless of the lawers cut of the booty!!!

 

[Roll-over]

Let it go...if anything does happen, let it go, chalk it up to leasson learned.

HTH

Rev

Sorry Rev, common since is not too common these days.
Too much :kissyou: VS. :twak: if you ask me...
-r0

 

[UNCC_99XJ]

I also forgot to add that a week or two after him writing in my window, I came out one afternoon, after staying till about 6 o'clock for another class, to find various pieces of trash attached to my Jeep. Several styraphome plates on the radio antenna, styraphome cups on the windshield wipers, door handles, rear wiper, roof, hood, and even a bottle of gatorade that looked like it had been sitting out in the parking lot since the school was built 35 years ago had been poured onto the hood. At that time I was going to go get the SRO and have him pull up the security camera so i could see who did it, but like i said above, it was 6pm, the SRO was gone, and when I got ahold of the principal, he told me "the camera broke last week, we're waiting on a new one from county". So I just had to deal with it and move on.

Thank you all for the comments. Even if you are picking my posts apart sentence by sentence and telling me where i'm wrong.

 

[jeeppowermj]

How'd he know it was you guys that tagged his car?

 

[UNCC_99XJ]

Cause we waited outside at his car after school. I wanted him to know it was us. Plus we're about the only people who he knows....other than school, his life stays bottled up in his room.