I tell ya...(UPDATED)

I could not write a fiction book based on my life if I tried. I had this post all planned out about how I was going to brag on my kids for being absolutely wonderful this week and so I am going to do their surprise for/with them on Friday, but then drama started last night so I will write about that and tomorrow will be dedicated to my girls.

My parents were so kind to us this past weekend that they kept our dog for us while we went to the game, but when Mike went to go get the dog he forgot to pick up her leash too. We have had to take the dog out with no leash all week and try to get her to stay in our yard. The dog listens about as well as the kids do most of the time so this isn't easy. I remembered about 9:55 last night that my dad is on midnights this week and so he would be leaving for work at 10:00 and practically drives right past our house so I decided to call and see if he would mind dropping off the dog's leash for me, which he happily did.

I was standing outside waiting for him (didn't want to make him late for work) when I notice a small fire. It looked like the edge of someone's yard was on fire, but I was in such shock that I couldn't really tell so I went down around the front side of our bushes to look again and sure enough there were kids lighting the road right next to the yard on fire. Pretty soon they light all the way across the road on fire. Mind you, they just finished redoing our road, so I am thinking "I realize you probably don't have a job, but I do so my tax dollars just paid for this new road you are trying to destroy!" I thought about calling the cops, but it was in front of the house of the people I had to call the cops on for their little girl being in my yard so I decided not to, but called Mike and told him about it and informed him that this weekend I was walking up there because this was going to stop. These people moved in 8/1 and we have had nothing but problems from them and it's a rental property, you can move out now!

When my dad brought the dog's leash I asked him if he saw the kids and explained what I just saw them do and told him my plan for this weekend which he said I should definitely do. About 30 minutes later I hear fire trucks and all kinds of commotion so I think to myself, "Ha they set their house on fire!" I walk out on my porch and no they did not set their house on fire they threw a bag of lit charcoal through the window of an abandon house up the road and set it on fire. Maybe this is all coincidence since no one saw it, but it sure is suspicious to me. A couple of my neighbor's were out including the guy that lives right next door to this family and told me that he told the cops what he saw earlier, which is exactly what I saw and could identify the kid (I could identify 2 out of the 4 I didn't see 2 of their faces.)

The cops came, I gave a statement, they talked to that family again, and the mother said, "They must have it wrong because little Johnny hasn't left the house all evening. He's been helping me with the younger kids!" Are you serious lady? Two of us saw little Johnny lighting charcoal on the road to cause fire and within 30 minutes a house was set on fire and you are going to lie for him like that?

The good news is, it was an abandon house so no one was hurt or killed, but what gives these kids a right to set someone elses property on fire? Whatever happen to being held accountable for your actions? What is this mother teaching him by lying for him? I am extremely disturbed by all of this and really have to watch our backs now. I think I have written before that we don't live in the worst or best neighborhood ever and it depends on how good or bad it is by the residents of some of these rental homes. This new family is bad news and I can't wait until they leave.

Here are two links to the articles.
http://www.tribtoday.com/page/content.detail/id/511346.html
http://www.vindy.com/news/2008/sep/25/five-arson-fires-reported-near-jfk-high-school/?newswatch

Apparently the kid admitted to it also. I cannot confirm that yet, but I am told that he did.