homeless sleeping in coop

[lone oak]

i live in the country and when all is greened out i can not see my nearest neighboor, but we seem to have homeless people just living in the woods...and now my storage building that is being repurposed as a coop. i knew last summer there was a homeless couple liveing in the woods (not my woods, but down the road). i found them picking my garden, the lady walked up to me and kept reaching for me, the man explained she was mute and they needed food, so ok i let them take what they had already picked and gave them more, just silently thinking just dont be trying to touch me. then over the fall and winter i have had chickens go missing, and someone has been gathering my duck eggs, i know it is someone and not something as it is tennis shoe prints in the mud in the duck pen, guessed it was likely the same couple. two weeks ago someone started makeing a "bed" out of junk that had been in this building that we recently started turing into a coop. we have kept removeing the "bed" and removed junk that has been around that could be used as a bed. yesterday we removed the floor from this building getting ready to replace it before moveing the chickens into it, last night someone broke into my locked sewing building and made a bed in there out of my good fabric. i made a police report this time. i feel for these people, especialy if it is the same couple from last summer, they both seemed almost child like but obviously adults. i wouldnt mind giveing them veggies, eggs, extra roosters...i just want to be the one that picks out which ones they take and i dont want them sleeping or breaking into my buildings...and if they perfer to steal then i would perfer to not help them with anything. the police say put no tresspassing signs up on each and every building...oh yeah that'll work...there is already no tresspassing signs along the property line and they have worked so well. i have sat in the yard or chicken run all night before to get rid of coons, dogs, etc....there is just something so different feeling planning on sitting outside at night waiting on a human, not that i plan to shoot the human, but i wouldnt dare sit out there all night without my gun, could take the police more than 30min to get here. i am assumeing it is the same couple, and i am assumeing they are just hungery and looking for somewhere to sleep, but it could be anyone. the family just thought i was crazy sitting outside waiting on animals they are gonna be sure i have lost my mind when i get my gun and lawn chair at bedtime tonight, realy i am thinking about sitting on top of the house or up somewhere where i am not seen and can quietly call the police. dont realy know what to do, but this is going to stop.

 

[schellie69]

That is a tough spot I would not mind helping someone, if they wanted to work for the food ect, But just stealing it is wrong. Wish you luck in find a way to get this worked out maybe there is some kind of help for them out there. Good luck.

 

[dianaross77]

I wouldn't hesitate to call the police. There are plenty of places people can go to get help in this country. They may be mentally ill. But people can't just live on your property. I would always be wondering when they were going to decide to try to get into the house.

 

[terrilhb]

I would definetly call the police also. That is scary. I would help someone too but if you are going to steal from me I am not helping. I hope you get this all worked out.
Good luck.

 

[BayouPoules]

Quote:
X2

and they would be better off with help than living in the woods.

 

[Stacykins]

Don't put up with it. There are places they can go for help. Stealing is a crime, trespassing is a crime, and breaking into buildings is a crime. This needs to be taken seriously. I know you feel bad, but it will continue if you don't put your foot down now.

 

[Rozzie]

Sure, they might be innocent people just down on their luck. They also might be violent criminals. You can't tell by looking at them. (But officer, little johnny always seemed like such a sweet little boy...)

 

[lone oak]

i should have called police last summer when i had caught them in the act, but i didnt, i thought it was a isolated incident. everything after the garden picking has been discovered after the act has been done and no one in sight. i will call police right away now. i had though that makeing the storage building/coop undesireable would make them move on, but breaking into a keyed lock locked building crossed the line.

 

[gmendoza]

You did all you could to help.Breaking into your property,yes its a crime and yes you should tell the authorities.

But remember the teachings of the bible:

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime

now add some South Carolina culture to the end of that:

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Steal a fish from a man,and he will turn you into chum.

 

[ChickyLaura]

I'd be really upset if they took my good fabric that I paid good money for (I'm sure!), and slept on it! Wow!!!

I could see an isolated incident, if somebody was really that hungry. But to continue to target you for so long is just completely wrong. There are soup kitchens, etc. This is not fair to you at all!