TheEasyGarden - Gardening Forum

so i take it they didn't catch them? here's hoping that someone would be dumb enough to brag about being sore from their handiwork and confess, if the police haven't caught them yet.

Here's a short story relating to mailbox vandalism.

About 30 years ago, in a small town south of Cape Girardeau, MO, a neighbor of my parents was having trouble with repeated mailbox smashes.  Understandably, frustrations and anger was mounting with each attack.  My dad and the neighbor got together and designed a 'vandal proof' mailbox.  My dad provided an 8" diameter pipe that was 7 ft. long and a mailbox-looking hunk of 1/4" thick steel.  Dad's neighbor sunk the pipe into concrete and filled the pipe with more concrete.  He welded the boiler-plate mailbox on top and added the door and flag.  It looked very nice for about 6 months.  The postal driver complimented him on his good job.

One summer evening three boys decided to attack the new mailbox.  Evidently the boy riding shotgun in a convertible car had to slightly open his door to swing an aluminum bat and the driver got too close to the target.  The door hit the post and broke the kid's right arm and shoulder.  The bat flung back into the back seat and caused a concussion on the boy sitting back there.

Dad's neighbor was found guilty of obstructing the right-of-way and a few other charges.  He was found guilty and was told he had to pay all damages, hospital and doctor bills, and spend 30 days in the county jail.  The neighbor appealed.  After 120 days the neighbor's attorney got him off of all charges due to the fact that the mailbox was more than the legal distance from the pavement and that there were three telephone poles within 1/2 mile that were closer to the pavement.  Which indicated that the boys had to purposely leave the pavement and swerve onto berm to hit the mailbox.

At no time were any of the lawyers allowed to discuss, in the court room, the fact that the boys were actually trying damage someone's property.  Crazy laws.

Last edited by Smiles (01/30/2013 8:58 am)

Another story.  Happened when I was a hig school senior to boys in my class.  Five boys were called out of class to go to the principal's office. These boys were at the top of the class, senior class president, starting fullback, one of the top basketball guard prospects in the state, kids like that.  They were wondering what honor they were getting ready to receive. 

An FBI agent was waiting to talk to them about blowing up mailboxes with cherry bombs or M-80's the previous night.  Vandalizing mailboxes is a Federal offense.  Because they were basically good kids and had so much to lose, it never made it on their record, but they paid restitution and performed community service.

Last edited by Ridgerunner (01/30/2013 9:07 am)

Smiles, I actually laughed when I read the damage the box did to the hoodlums~ Sorry to hear that Dad's neighbor nearly had to pay them! Crazy world. My father was a rural mail carrier and it was not uncommon to find a row of smashed mail boxes from time to time.

Smiles, that is just insane.  What a messed up system we have that criminals can sue their victims for damage. 

At least a brick one would be hard to knock down (unless you hit it w/ the car!) 

We have a lot of paintball attacks around here.  Teenagers drive by and "target" shoot at things.

We also had a case a couple weeks ago where they were taking saran wrap and tying it on one telephone pole, then crossing the road and tying to another just to watch people freak out as they drove through it.  Then they moved up to tying a rope across the road.  A friend of mine ran through it with their van and it scratched the paint as it pulled up and over the vehicle.  What if a motorcyclist would go through it?  NOT good.  Could lose their head!  Seriously, what is wrong with kids these days?... (Rhetorically speaking...because I have a few good theories of my own.)