What To Do? Neighbor Calls the Sheriff on me for everything!!!

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

riverwalker76

New member
To make a long story short ....

I live in Kentucky. In my county it is legal to discharge firearms on your own property, and there are no laws pertaining to the display or firing of fireworks any time of the year. In other words ... as the law reads ... I can shoot all I want, and let off fireworks anytime of the day and any day of the week ... all year long!

Now ... I have a neighbor that works at the local judicial center. This joker thinks that just because he works at the courthouse that he is hot stuff. I never have a problem with anything that he does ... even if he is burning tires in his backyard on his burn pile.

Now ... every time I discharge a firearm or let off firecrackers he calls the sheriff on me! They have been out here 8 times in the past month, and I don't know what to do. The visit from the Deputy always ends in ... "We know it's legal, but we have to answer every call!"

What can I do? This guy is really getting on my nerves.
 
Have you had a polite conversation with him? Sometimes that is all it takes--a simple face-to-face conversation.

Perhaps there is some misunderstanding, or perhaps he has an issue with the timing of the noise.
 
I'ld be out there every day at 4:00 p.m. (pick a time) .... shooting a gun, or fireworks. About 2 weeks of that, the Police will tell this guy to quit wasting their time. There is such a thing as false calls, and it is a false call if the person knows what is occuring is "legal".

If 2 weeks doesn't do it, well..... I'ld keep right on going and get in a lot of shooting practice .... every day.

The issue at this point is not the neighbor, but the Police thinking they have to respond to him when and if they know it's baloney. They are trying to "accommodate" him as a professional courtesy, but it will stop soon enough.
 
Not necessarily in order of desirability:

1) Move.

2) Shoot often. Don't shoot after "quiet hours" or before sunup, but shoot every chance you get. After awhile, the deputies will get fed up and either quit responding, or start citing him for making false 911 calls. They should have already told him what you are doing is legal, and warned him that any further calls, unless you're clearly endangering someone, will result in his prosecution.

3) Sue him for harrassment. Likely, though, it will cost you more in the long run than you'll ever gain from it.

BTW, have you tried talking with him about his concerns? Assuring him that you're not shooting towards his property might go a long way in reassuring him.
 
If the Sheriff has to come out EVERY TIME this idiot lodges a complaint,
then he's wasting the taxpayers' money, and the Sheriff's time.

I'd go to the next public community meeting, sit front and center, and call him out on it.
See if the poophead still has a job next year...
 
I agree with Gary L. Griffiths on #2. Go into your backyard and let of a magazine or two from a .22 pistol every day. Don't do it at 10 PM cause then you neighbor has a slightly valid complaint. Do it at like 5:30 pm or something.
 
Eagleks said:
I'ld be out there every day at 4:00 p.m. (pick a time) .... shooting a gun, or fireworks. About 2 weeks of that, the Police will tell this guy to quit wasting their time. There is such a thing as false calls, and it is a false call if the person knows what is occuring is "legal".

If 2 weeks doesn't do it, well..... I'ld keep right on going and get in a lot of shooting practice .... every day.

The issue at this point is not the neighbor, but the Police thinking they have to respond to him when and if they know it's baloney. They are trying to "accommodate" him as a professional courtesy, but it will stop soon enough.
Click to expand...

This sounds right to me. Unless he has a legit concern (you aren't using a backstop or are doing it when most folks are sleeping) the deputies will eventually tell him to stop harrassing them.
 
I agree with having a polite conversation with him. What is it that he has a problem with? Just noise? As long as your not whizzing ricochets through his back yard or into his field of cattle, then I cant see where you are in the wrong. Just remember to keep it civil. The last thing you want to live next to for the next ? years is an enemy. The smartest man I ever met said this-Mark 12:31.
 
Well ... here's the thing. My family and I have only lived here for 2 years, so moving isn't an option at this time.

The neighbor who calls the sheriff on me all of the time has a 54 year old son who still lives at home. The son has been in and out of the penitentiary since he was 24 years old, and against the other neighbors' advice ... I befriended him at one time. I would always wave at him in passing, and he would come over and talk to me. I figured the guy hasn't done anything to me, and regardless of his past ... everyone deserves a chance.

Then ... one day ... out of the blue the son comes over to me and decides to inform me that it is his father who has been calling the sheriff on me all these times. I was kind of shocked that this guy would even inform me that his family had been plotting against me, but now I get the feeling that the son is somewhat mentally challenged. So, I can understand that he doesn't have the capacity to keep secrets, and don't hold it against him. However, I cannot understand why his father insists on harassing me to no end.

The father is someone who you just can't get along with. He's the type of person that if you were to say " Have a great day!" ... he'd come back with " What's so great about it?" . Understand?

So, I guess I will continue to fire at will, and ignore his complaints. I can't think of anything else to do.
 
Understood.
My folks have a neighbor just like this.
Grew up up with this kind of PC idiot, right next door.
Hell, my dad took a tree on the head trying to help this idiot,
and instead of calling an ambulance to help, this stupid woman called her lawyer - "Can he sue me????" - while I'm holding my shirt on my Dad's head, trying to stop the blood from squirting everywhere, telling him it's superficial - "You'll be okay, but you need an ambulance... Where the hell is that woman?!?!?!?!?"
Call this A-Hole out at Town Hall.
Publicly embarrass him.
He's a menace, and needs to be stopped.
Post Haste.
 
If what you are doing is legal, continue to shoot at will. Let him call, let they police come. Eventually they'll tell this gentleman that you are within the law and gun related calls will stop.
 
Now ... every time I discharge a firearm or let off firecrackers he calls the sheriff on me! They have been out here 8 times in the past month, and I don't know what to do. The visit from the Deputy always ends in ... "We know it's legal, but we have to answer every call!"

What can I do? This guy is really getting on my nerves.
Click to expand...

Agree with most of the other posters. (1) You're legal. (2) The S.O. has to respond to calls. (3) Eventually, they (the S.O.) will get tired of this and have a "talk" with your neighbor. (4) If it continues, you have a pretty good harassment lawsuit.
 
Brew fresh coffee.

Brew coffee when you go out to shoot. That way you can offer a fresh cup when the deputy comes over.
coffee.gif
Your right to shoot. His right to call. The county needs to figure out what to do with these false calls.
 
Last edited:
I agree with rjrivero. Shoot often and always have that cup of coffee for the PD when they show up (believe it or not). Over time they will get to know you better than him and they will all eventually know that he's a dick. All those calls and visits are a matter of record, so they know how many times they have been there. Hell, let them take a couple pops on your "range". Then when the time comes to lower the boom on your "pal" next door, you'll have plenty of weight.
 
riverwalker76,
Keep a notebook and record just the facts. When the police showed up, the responding officer, what the complaint was. Ultimately you can also make a FOIA request for information on the complaints as well.

Bundle all of that up and then if you have quite a collection you can file a harassment charge or point out to the police that this guy is filing false reports.
 
If the Sheriff has to come out EVERY TIME this idiot lodges a complaint,
then he's wasting the taxpayers' money, and the Sheriff's time.

I'd go to the next public community meeting, sit front and center, and call him out on it.
See if the poophead still has a job next year...
Click to expand...
Sounds like: Harassment covers a wide range of offensive behaviour. It is commonly understood as behaviour intended to disturb or upset. In the legal sense, it is behaviour which is found threatening or disturbing.
 
slightly similar situation

Wife has horse. Horse has foundered. So, horse is put in small pen we make close to the house, so he can be recover. Not in big pasture any more. Gets fed pellets, once a day. Has plenty water, but no grass, no hay, cause he needs to lose weight, or die!

Sheriff (deputy) visits. Has gotten complaint we are mistreating horse. We explain, vet says do this, or horse dies. Deputy is polite, says he has to respond to all calls.

End of the week, different deputy shows up. Same story. Next week, repeat. After about a month, we start seeing the same deputy again. Seems there is a lady that drives by regularly, and sees the poor horse penned up, with no food (no bale of fodder), and calls sheriff. Wife is, by this time, ready to chew nails and spit rust. Keeps a lid on it, is polite to deputy (who is about as old as our kids, or looks like it anyway;)).

The tell us they know the horse is ok, and the calls are a pain, but they have to check. We ask, can one of you guys talk to this gal and set her straight? They say, they'll try, meanwhile, they don't get all hot about her calls, cause they know there's no real problem. Wife asks about "filing false report" and they say they will explain that to the gal.

Don't see deputy for a couple weeks, and by this time, horse is better, and goes back to pasture. No more visits.

In your case, relax and enjoy it. As long as the sheriff doesn't come "visit" with the SWAT team, (and when they know what's going on, they won't). Have a little fun with it. You're legal. You know it. They know it. Say Hi when they come to visit. Offer coffee, offer to shoot with them, etc.

You can talk to your neighbor, but don't be confrontational. Nothing to gain there, and you don't want him to feel threatened. Maybe he's worried his adult child will get in trouble with you (parole violation?) Maybe he's just a curmudgeon who can't let anyone else enjoy themselves. Doesn't matter. You just keep cool.

Like was said, keep a log of how many times, and what complaint, and when you have a stack of them, go see the sheriff, and seewhat they feel is the best course of action. Heck, by then, they ought to know you pretty good.

You could go see a lawyer, but I wouldn't bother, not now, at least. Just shoot every day, enjoy the deputy's visit, make a log, who, when, how long the stay, why they came. Then with a stack of 15-20 ( or more?), go see the Sheriff. See the man himself, make appointment if you must.

Say something like, Hey, I like visitin' with your boys (and girls?) but seems to me that they could be doing something more important for the county.

There is a line (sometimes legally defined) for public nuisance, for filing false reports, etc. Have documentation to show them, and there's a fair chance they will file their own complaint on this guy, you might not have to.
 
44AMP has a great plan for you to follow. I suggest you do it that way!

Personally, I would be out in the yard firing a .22, with a couple .45 rounds tossed in for extra loudness, every single day at various times. Not during normally accepted quiet times of course.

Most rural police officers I've met strongly believe in a person's right to bear arms and fire on property where it is legal to do so. Like 44AMP said, take those visits as time to converse with the cops and all that. Make it a social time. Everyone should have friends that are police. I know I sure do.

But keep on it! Fire that weapon every single day until the police stop responding to the old twit.
 
Do not talk to this neighbor WITHOUT a witness. After all, you have wicked guns and he could, and probably would, say anything:rolleyes:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top