we've been burgled... sigh

[jay]

Weird... sometime between late yesterday afternoon and this morning, someone came in to our back yard and took all of the tangerines off of our 20' tree. The ladders have been moved around, and Kevin thinks he heard something on the roof last night (adjacent to the top of the tree). Even the large fruit at the top is gone... patgreene was shocked when she walked behind the house this morning to pick something for the kids' school lunches.

Why would someone risk discovery and trespass to steal... tangerines? Other outdoor items of greater value (lawn mower, gas grill) were left alone. Pat is spooked and is calling the local police to report it... more because of the invasive aspects than any financial loss (we had maybe... a 15-20 gallon-sized container-full on the tree).

This (of course) happens when I'm on the other side of the country... sigh. Ides of March.

Comments

[dawnd.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm sorry to hear this. That was terribly rude of them. I can only think that they are out there selling them to others along side the road. "$3/bag"

[dawnd.livejournal.com]

PS: We fired some gardeners one year after they systematically removed all the tomatoes we'd been so carefully tending all season. They tried to say they were doing their job and cleaning up the yard. I found it highly suspect that they waited till they were ripe to clear out all the "unsightly overgrown plants." I was SOOOO MAD!

[ciarhwyfar.livejournal.com]

I just *LOVE* the rabid squirrel, btw.

[dawnd.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I love it too. It was a recent acquisition from tamnonlinear. :^D

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

I keep wondering if the jaws are photoshopped...

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a planned job, yes... and they may have gotten $20 of tomatoes, but lost a $700/yr contract. Grr...

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

According to the MVPD officer, this qualifies as Grand Theft because of the quantity of fruit -- since w2e had probably a couple of hundred still left on the tree.

*hugs* in general. I know I probably should not have bothered you with this, since there is nothing you can do from there, but I was freaked out. Sorry.

[vokzal.livejournal.com]

Hey, I think you should get all the support possible! Since that /is/ freaky. I don't know what your setup is, but a cheap motion dectector light might make you feel better (and at least wake someone).

Maybe later (much later) you can laugh about it. Grand Theft Tangerines? I'm not sure what that would be as a video game.

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

Also, techinically it's not burglary, since they didn't enter the house. It qualifies as Grand Theft. Not that it really matters.

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

It seems weird to classify fruit with, say, stolen cars...

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Grand Theft Citrus.

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

That could be the next hot video game.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Well, in Calif. the value required for grand theft is (IIRC) 5,000 dollars, (which means for most of the cars I've owned, the someone stealing it would commit, Petty theft, Auto).

But there is tresspass (criminal, by nature, as it was essential to the commision of a crime) and I'll wager there is at least one law which deals with the theft of agricultural products, and it could be bent to fit this case.

I confess, I have swiped grapefruit. On the other hand, never from a fenced yard, and never more than a few. Given the general lack of apparent interest (at one place there must have been a bushel's worth, broken on the ground) it seemed no real harm was being done.

To ruminate, that many (15-20 gallons) implies someone took them to sell.

TK

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

Given how organized this seems, my hunch is that there is probably a gang that roams around doing systematic stripping of trees in people's yard. These people knew what they were doing: they took everything and didn't damage the tree while working at night. And yes, I'm sure that they sell the fruit, somewhere.

[deedeebythebay.livejournal.com]

I hate to say it, but there's always the chance they were just hungry people. But then, that many pieces of fruit.....*sigh* possibly note.

[ciarhwyfar.livejournal.com]

Tangerines aren't even really expensive right now.

Sorry to hear that. Even if it was just the yard, it tends to make people feel weird for awhile when they have been violated like that.

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

(nods) that's the worst part...