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Quoted: It's been 12-hours and the sheriff hasn't called or showed up yet. That's beyond unacceptable. There's no way we could get away with that. You'd at least get a call back within an hour. If it's going to be that long for response, I don't expect you'll get much help. I'd probably post the pics up on local FB/forums and out them. It will probably do more good than your local LE. |
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Quoted: Add some cameras with speaker or a PA system so you can yell at them. Maybe also add a gate with a remote opener on it. The guy remarking "They're Home" shows how freaking stupid he is...and can't read the simplest of signs of fresh life... The simplistic confidence of a druggie/drunk |
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Quoted: @ED_P Are you considered as; “being from away”? We looked at a few place in Down East Maine and came across this concept. You will have scum bags trespassing and stealing there . We just use to leave our hunting cabins open with nothing of value . We did have two wood stoves stolen. It just hard to avoid that in rural Maine because there's a lot of meth heads in thos areas |
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Quoted: Tagged to hear what the sheriff says. Alcohol is the great disinhibition drug. Dude has likely been wanting to pull off a robbery for a while and last night he was relaxed enough to go do an impromptu feasibility study on your stuff. I’d lay 4:1 odds the sheriff knows this pair. There are also others, but this is a pretty damn smart, succinct and insightful post in regard to this situation. |
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Quoted: I said "Siri Alert Lighting" and every outdoor light went to 100% brightness. I dressed quickly and grabbed an AR-15 M-4 carbine and peeked out onto the balcony only to hear the driveway alarm going off. OP, so you had some outdoor lighting? Not sure if this will work for your situation, but where I am I like a "lights-out strategy." Keeping everything dark avoids attention and provides an element of surprise if used in conjunction with IR cameras with motion alerts and/or motion sensor flood lights. Not to mention you know your property, add in a super bright WML or flashlight provides a huge tactical advantage when you come out of the darkness. A side benefit is less light pollution too. |
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Quoted: It would be nice if that was OK. But it's not, for lots of reasons. I think half a dozen rounds into the ground during my first talk with said asshole would have cleared things up pretty well. But...not gonna do it. Wouldn't be prudent. Quoted: Quoted: There is nothing wrong with firing warning shots at any point during an encounter. I’m rather surprised you didn’t. It would be nice if that was OK. But it's not, for lots of reasons. I think half a dozen rounds into the ground during my first talk with said asshole would have cleared things up pretty well. But...not gonna do it. Wouldn't be prudent. While I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment of s”man, the advisement of r”r”6 is absolutely prudent from a legal perspective. |
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Quoted: OP, so you had some outdoor lighting? Not sure if this will work for your situation, but where I am I like a "lights-out strategy." Keeping everything dark avoids attention and provides an element of surprise if used in conjunction with IR cameras with motion alerts and/or motion sensor flood lights. Not to mention you know your property, add in a super bright WML or flashlight provides a huge tactical advantage when you come out of the darkness. A side benefit is less light pollution too. This is my go to with cell game cams. The leds indicating they are taking a picture are disabled. You'd have to use a light here to get around and chances are good I already know you are here and where you are. |
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Quoted: I keep my gate chained and locked unless I am actively going through it. Anybody drives up onto my property, they better be driving an armored vehicle.  In your case, I would have let off a few rounds into the dirt as they departed. Let them report that to the police while explaining why they were there trespassing and driving drunk.  That’s a good point.. neighbors far away and they’d be shooting themselves in the foot. |
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Quoted: Add some cameras with speaker or a PA system so you can yell at them. Maybe also add a gate with a remote opener on it. Hell, use a Cat Cam. A buddy has one. It rotates and tilts, you can talk through it, and it has a steerable red laser...maybe they'd like to play, like the cat... |
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Quoted:OP, so you had some outdoor lighting? Not sure if this will work for your situation, but where I am I like a "lights-out strategy." Keeping everything dark avoids attention and provides an element of surprise if used in conjunction with IR cameras with motion alerts and/or motion sensor flood lights. Not to mention you know your property, add in a super bright WML or flashlight provides a huge tactical advantage when you come out of the darkness. A side benefit is less light pollution too. My primary goal is to not get dead. The secondary goal is to not get robbed. Somewhere a wee bit lower is playing cops-n-robbers to catch these clowns who were guzzling Monster energy drink and stumbling in the darkness. I've gone back-n-forth between completely darken house so it becomes invisible in the dark and lighting the place up so I went with lighting the place up dimly - the outdoor porch lights on my front, side, and back porch are at 20% brightness. People in town know my home. My neighbors tell me they give directions relative to my home, oh you live next door to Tim and Diane's old place ... it's a small county and Tim and Diane put on big parties so lots of people have been in the house. For a moment I thought it might have been the previous owner's third son who I haven't met the guy was so casual about walking up to the shop to look. We have lots of flashlights, the weapon sports a TK30 white laser made by Fenix. Handhelds include a Streamlight pistol grip spot light and a few Olight Seeker 3s. We're well equipped to light up a target out to 1200 feet or so. When the outdoor lights popped on I achieved my primary and secondary goals. "Alert Lighting" leaves the inside lights off and turns all the outside ones on lighting the house up 360 degrees around. Big 50 watt LED lights on two side and porch and balcony lights on the others it's a lot of light and a hella good advantage for me. Good hunting for me and from the west side of the house I can control the driveway from cover very well. Other voice commands to my watch turn off all the lights, light up only the shop, light up only the east side of the house, that sort of thing so I can control the lighting as I need it. Always be sure of your target comes to mind. Last night I changed the "Good night" scene adding a couple of more lights and bringing the level up to 30% brightness. It's been 30ish hours since I called 911 for help ... still no sheriff. 
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Quoted: Hell, use a Cat Cam. A buddy has one. It rotates and tilts, you can talk through it, and it has a steerable red laser...maybe they'd like to play, like the cat... Had a friend who used a laser pointer on neighborhood predators in a big city They had no idea where it was coming from or that it wasn't a weapon TV shows and movies have their merit conditioning people |
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Quoted: Between Crystal Falls and Iron Mountain out where there's lots of woods and lakes and not so many people. The rodeo and bass festivals are going on. Sheriff has his hands full closing roads for the parades. Used to work in the area back in the day it was getting to be meth central for the northwoods. Summer brings out the crooks as they can blend in with tourists campers hikers bicyclists... Rest of the year you know who belongs and who doesn't for the most part. |
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Quoted: Call MSP? Quoted: Quoted: It's been 30ish hours since I called 911 for help ... still no sheriff. Call MSP? I wouldn't call anybody again. As long as nobody has showed up, nobody has told him what he can't do. Now he has every right to believe he's on his own and remedies are of his own making. |
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The UP is a beautiful place but there isn't much for career work. The old KI Sawyer AFB is a dump compared to when it was active, and every time they close a mine it kills the local economy. I think truck driving and logging is about it. It's definitely not the place it was when I was a kid, with all the drugs accelerating the decline. |
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Quoted: A dog that can defend itself against the local coyote packs (watched a single dog chasing a doe just this morning pre-dawn), the wolves, and "visiting" lions, and the black bear sow that's been leaving tracks most mornings in the front yard. The last thing I want to do is hold these guys at gun point for a few hours until the sheriff responds. When I dialed 911 the operator told me the sheriff wouldn't respond until after 7AM when they started. I do keep a pair of handcuffs and leg irons around for just such occasions. I have four cameras on the drive. There's a long lane and then a circle loop that runs in front of the house. Normally people go to the left following traffic along the loop where three cameras are awaiting them including a dedicated car camera. They defeated my preparations by going the wrong way down the loop by-passing three of the four cameras. They did park right under the shop's spotlight/camera, it's an Eve camera and looks like a motion sensor light more than a camera. That thing got good video and enough audio you can hear parts of their on-going conversation. Once the lights go on they just start backing their way around the loop until they can get their front end pointed at the road, they turned their light off and drove down the remaining drive and out never exposing their rear plate to the house at all. They did have a front plate which isn't required in Michigan. It might have been a Wisconsin one and you can clearly see its two sets of letters and you can make out the first and last letters. The bitch with cameras at night is the plates are reflective and the dynamic range of the cameras is about 1/10h the human's eyes' abilities. Dog was smart enough to hear the drive alarm and know to wake me up and then keep me up until I went out to check. She's only ever gotten upset at night when the black bear was up on our bedroom's balcony. We'll keep her.  See how fast someone gets there. 
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Your security setup worked well as intended. You were probed possibly by someone connected to a handyman or some such visitor to your property. I would add a sign at the end of your driveway indicating the property is under video surveillance. They will notice the change and realize you know they were around. I would have a relative house sit if taking a trip overnight. |
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Add a loudspeaker to your system where you can yell out to anyone trespassing "Leave immediately or you will be shot". Or shout out any other message you may want to relay to any unwanted guests. At that point if they don't leave immediately just fire a couple of warning shots into the dirt in their general direction. As rural as you seem to be located I don't think that should be a problem in getting your warning across and taken seriously. A shotgun with bird shot would work well for the warning shots with your AR right next to you if the warnings are not heeded. The bird shot would not be a hazard to any neighbors. |
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Quoted: They will be back. Next time sneak from the side when you're not home. A friend that has 60 acres had 2 people walk from a road a mile behind his house at night while he was home to thieve. The front was lit, cameras, etc. He never expected anyone to walk a mile at night through very rough country. Sneak past them and cut their tires if you can, them wait in the darkness for them to return. 
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Quoted: Add a loudspeaker to your system where you can yell out to anyone trespassing "Leave immediately or you will be shot". Or shout out any other message you may want to relay to any unwanted guests. At that point if they don't leave immediately just fire a couple of warning shots into the dirt in their general direction. As rural as you seem to be located I don't think that should be a problem in getting your warning across and taken seriously. A shotgun with bird shot would work well for the warning shots with your AR right next to you if the warnings are not heeded. The bird shot would not be a hazard to any neighbors.  |
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Quoted: I wouldn't call anybody again. As long as nobody has showed up, nobody has told him what he can't do. Now he has every right to believe he's on his own and remedies are of his own making. Attached File |
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A few days ago we had a guy come from our fenced back yard (must have jumped the back fence) through the side yard and out to the street. The side yard Ring flood light came on and lit him up, notified us and recorded him. Nothing apparently messed with but WTF would make someone think it was ok to hop a stranger's fence and cut through their yard in the middle of the night? If it was at our main house they could have been very unhappy when they met the rottweiler, the cur dog, and the blue heeler. |
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Quoted: I live out in the country in the last home on pavement 1.5 miles down the end of a dark twisty road. It's 525 feet from the front door to the public road. Last night in the rain at 3:13 AM I had a pair of visitors. They set the driveway alarm off and that woke the dog. She started huffing and walking around and looking for intruders. We didn't hear the alarm but she did. She was walking around alert sniffing so we thought the black bear was out on our balcony again. I said "Siri Alert Lighting" and every outdoor light went to 100% brightness. I dressed quickly and grabbed an AR-15 M-4 carbine and peeked out onto the balcony only to hear the driveway alarm going off. I rushed to the front of the house only to see the guy shut off his headlights as he turned back onto the street. Reviewing my camera system there was a male and female. They pulled up and got out like they owned the place. They pulled in front of a camera on my shop that lit up automatically when they got out and walked under it. She disappears into my shop parking lot to either pee or get a closer look at the fleet of lawnmowers, ATV, and side-by-side. I thought they were there for her to pee but you'd have to drive past a dozen better places. As she disappears for 30 seconds he continues to chug away at his beer while walking up to the unlocked side door of my shop to peer in. She's wearing a distinctive red dress and a leg brace. He's wearing a light blue Adidas shirt, white pants, hat and red shoes. When all the outdoor lights come on he saids "oh they're home" and both get into the car and quickly leave. I didn't review the video until 20 minutes later when I was happy the property was clear. All told they were there for just over 3 minutes before the lights came on and motivated them to leave. I wonder what their reactions would have been if I had come out the east side of the house rather than the west side and they had come upon me and my M4 carbine? https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/202/IMG_1638-3585372.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/202/IMG_1639-3585373.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/202/IMG_1640-3585374.jpg Potato phone zoom-in of the HD video. I'm not showing their faces but in the video they both look towards the camera. The police will be here after 7 AM when their shifts start. Anybody that knows either of these two would recognize them from the way they walk and talk. I plan on moving the driveway alarm closer to the master bedroom and giving the doggo an extra treat. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/202/IMG_9897-3199097.jpg Dog at a less alert moment. My American Eskimo Sydney was the best fucking dog I've had in 65 years of dog ownership. If you looked up dog she was it. |
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Quoted: I live out in the country in the last home on pavement 1.5 miles down the end of a dark twisty road. It's 525 feet from the front door to the public road. Last night in the rain at 3:13 AM I had a pair of visitors. They set the driveway alarm off and that woke the dog. She started huffing and walking around and looking for intruders. We didn't hear the alarm but she did. She was walking around alert sniffing so we thought the black bear was out on our balcony again. I said "Siri Alert Lighting" and every outdoor light went to 100% brightness. I dressed quickly and grabbed an AR-15 M-4 carbine and peeked out onto the balcony only to hear the driveway alarm going off. I rushed to the front of the house only to see the guy shut off his headlights as he turned back onto the street. Reviewing my camera system there was a male and female. They pulled up and got out like they owned the place. They pulled in front of a camera on my shop that lit up automatically when they got out and walked under it. She disappears into my shop parking lot to either pee or get a closer look at the fleet of lawnmowers, ATV, and side-by-side. I thought they were there for her to pee but you'd have to drive past a dozen better places. As she disappears for 30 seconds he continues to chug away at his beer while walking up to the unlocked side door of my shop to peer in. She's wearing a distinctive red dress and a leg brace. He's wearing a light blue Adidas shirt, white pants, hat and red shoes. When all the outdoor lights come on he saids "oh they're home" and both get into the car and quickly leave. I didn't review the video until 20 minutes later when I was happy the property was clear. All told they were there for just over 3 minutes before the lights came on and motivated them to leave. I wonder what their reactions would have been if I had come out the east side of the house rather than the west side and they had come upon me and my M4 carbine? https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/202/IMG_1638-3585372.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/202/IMG_1639-3585373.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/202/IMG_1640-3585374.jpg Potato phone zoom-in of the HD video. I'm not showing their faces but in the video they both look towards the camera. The police will be here after 7 AM when their shifts start. Anybody that knows either of these two would recognize them from the way they walk and talk. I plan on moving the driveway alarm closer to the master bedroom and giving the doggo an extra treat. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/202/IMG_9897-3199097.jpg Dog at a less alert moment. Assumedly, the camera shots are intentionally vague. Sounds like your security rings worked, you were armed ahead of time, awake and alert. Doggo did waaay more than just looking and acting super cute. Good pupper. Miniature American Eskimo? |
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Quoted: I hate trespassers. I have some property in Maine and despite all the "No Trespassing- Private Driveway" and "Area is Protected by Video Surveillance" signs (which it is), I get kids driving right up my driveway and into our field when we're not around, which is ripe with blueberries this time of year. A couple weeks ago some kids in a Golf Cart drove out into the field after dark when we weren't there. Last night a Side by Side and an ATV pull up, read the signs, drive past them 50 feet, but then decide to turn around. I wish people would respect private property but many don't. Maybe a spike strip, strategically placed where you know where it is but a stranger wouldn't would discourage them |