Owner on Vacation: It happened to me.

"The sheriff's department told her that the merchandise in the home was all stolen, and that there was a meth lab set up in the back room."

To veer off course a little bit, I have always wondered what would happen in a situation like this. You rent out a house, or in this case you house is unoccupied (by you) and someone sets up a drug lab on your property. Are you held responsible in any way ? Can you be required to pay for the haz mat clean up ? What are the chances that your house will be declared contaminated or unfit to live in (or sell) because it contained a drug lab ?
 
Good story. I enjoyed reading!!! I probably would have gone in the back of the house, since that's where the lights were on inside. Going in the front into the dark room is risky business since you don't know what could be waiting for you there. Someone with a sawed off 12 guage crouched behind the sofa for instance.
 
Another approach would be to do alittle scouting first; sometimes a view with a pair of binoculars might give you a better idea of who or what you are dealing with from a good standoff vantage point. Even a small cheap pair are handy and can be stored in your car with little worry.
 
Years ago, before I carried continuously, I got home from work at 2AM. No lights on. I was in the house for two hours before the intruder knocked over a lamp in the spare bedroom...between me and the firearms. I was between him and the doors. I immediately left the house and waited at a corner in the dark bushes where I could see the front door and the side door. With a softball bat. When I heard him throw an armchair through the rear jalousey windows; I realized that he had analyzed the new tactical situation correctly. I went to the neighbors and called the police. I let them clear the house in case there was more than one. Nothing was taken.

I don't clear houses and I don't hold people at gunpoint. I'm not a cop.

Personally, in a situation like this, I would have known whether I left the lights in the house on. I double check on such. Once I saw the lights on, I would have called the police to report a burglary...possibly still in progress. Then I would have positioned my vehicle so that I could follow any vehicle that left to get the license plate number. Next would have been a short retreat from the vehicle to a convenient bush or shadow...just in case some curious member of the burglar group who had been wandering around wanted to walk up to car. Maybe with a gun of his own. Years ago, I was in collections and repossessions. Sitting in your car staking a house out can be a real, real bad idea.
 
Smince,

If I, a rookie to this forum (not to LE or tactics), can add my 2 cents. Even though I think your search ,in this case was wrong, being prepared to do one is not. What's more important is to know under what circumstances you will enter a building/house/structure/whatever... next time!

Some in here have said the response time for LE would have been too long to wait. Why? If noone's life is in immediate danger (which in this case, it didnt sound like anyone you cared about was..) why go in? Property is not worth dying over.

If the next scenario involves a situation where you not acting may mean the death of someone, and you cant wait the 30 or so minutes it takes for LE, then perhaps go ahead and make the entry...But remember... If you dont have the tools or the training, (or aren't as good as we think) maybe leaving it to the professionals, no matter the response time, is a better idea. No sense being another statistic.

EK
 
i saw a good round at a gun show

i was looking over some old 12 gauge shotguns at a show and i saw a package with 4 gold bullets and i ask the guy why the pack of rounds cost so many bucks and he told me they were made for shooting at intruders in your home that might try and rob you or kill you, these bullets are the coolest cause they automaticaly stop at point of impact, so that you can shoot anybody ripping your off and scoring on your belongs and not hitting anybody next door, i aways carry my gun around in the winter time :)
 
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