k2bdeutmeyer Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Background info: When we moved into this house (7yr ago), there was a very grumpy OLD man (in his 90's) who lived in the house across the street. Everybody in the neighborhood talked about how grouchy he was. One day we noticed the house was very quiet. To make a long story short, the man passed away and left the house to his son. However, the son was in prison (lots of minor drug charges and a LOT of traffic charges including the loss of his license), so the house sat empty for quite a while (think a year or more). One day, the son showed up. He does not work, is in his mid to late 40's, lives with another guy (definitely a roommate type relationship, not romantic) who appears to work or take classes or something (he walks to the bus stop daily). The son doesn't talk to anybody except his next door neighbor - a single woman (also in her 40's with a teenage daughter). He seems to take care of her lawn, garbage, etc. I don't know if she pays him. He, apparently, doesn't like us though, because he called the fire dept on us for a perfectly legal backyard fire. The firemen were annoyed. Anyway......when he first came around, there was an older woman (60's probably) who dropped him off, gave him rides, etc. For the first little while, she was the only one coming and going (she's still around quite a bit). Within a few months, I suspected drug activity. Lots of cars coming and going - only staying for a min or two. The son always met them outside and they rarely got out of their vehicles. Many of the cars I recognized, because they came often. Things have slowed down on that front though. I will occasionally see a car I recognize from that time frame....and there will be days where it seems like things are picking up again, but for the most part I'm not as concerned about it as I was. But, here's where the strange part comes in. Recently (6-8 months ago), a young man (20's or 30's) and his girlfriend/wife have started hanging around over there. I can't tell if they live there now (I don't think they do) or not, but they are there daily. Well, at least the male is. It started with a big RV. He brought it there and spent quite a bit of time cleaning it up (power washing, etc). It was around for a week or two and then disappeared only to be replaced with a different one. Same thing. Cleaned up and then gone. There are consistently at LEAST 5-6 cars over there. The young man drives a gold car and there is a van that he moves around quite a bit, but that seems to always be there (why? nobody seems to drive it....it just gets moved from one parking spot to another). After that, the remaining 3-4 cars are constantly changing. Sometimes (often) they don't have plates on them. I've seen him cleaning some of them up (inside and out), and sometimes he'll have the hood up working on something there. None of them are fancy or even decent looking really. Many have rust, dents, are 15+ years old, etc. What in the world? And why is he keeping them at the house across the street? It's rather annoying. There are cars everywhere - parked on the street, filling the son's driveway, etc. I just can't figure out what is going on over there. It seems so strange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missiemick Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Is it possible that he's making repairs? Older cars are much easier to work on and he's probably willing/able to do it for cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Is it possible that he's making repairs? Older cars are much easier to work on and he's probably willing/able to do it for cheap. I don't ever see him do anything that in depth?!? They usually either sit there for a 1-5 days without anybody touching them, or he'll clean it up (power wash the outside and vacuum the inside) and it's gone within a day or two. The only exceptions have been the van that has been there for months, and this white jeep with yellow flashing lights on top that has been sitting there for a few weeks. Neither gets touched except to juggle parking spots. And again....they often don't have plates on them. No dealer plates, no temporary plates....nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Could he be detailing them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Sounds like he's running a business from his home, sounds like repair to me too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 I wondered that too, but he doesn't seem to do the same thing to each one? And some sit for a week or more, while others are gone within a day. It's really all very strange to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Maybe he's buying cheap cars from auctions? Or buying salvaged cars to resell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Sounds like he's running a business from his home, sounds like repair to me too. Except he doesn't live there!?! And the son (who owns the house) doesn't seem to be involved in any way with this adventure.....whatever it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Maybe he's buying cheap cars from auctions? Or buying salvaged cars to resell. Interesting thought, but would some have plates then (because some do)? And would he be able to get rid of them within days the majority of the time? It's fairly rare for anything to sit (except the van and the jeep) over there for more than a week. Most are gone within a few days. There was a brown pickup added yesterday, and a conversion van showed up today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolt. Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 It's possible that it's like 'flipping' houses... Maybe they buy a vehicle for what you consider a good deal, then tidy it up, make minor fixes and try to sell it again for a new, slightly higher price. Even if it's only that you convince someone to pay $200 more than you paid for it, if it only took you 2 days, that's reasonable self-employment... and possibly 'tax free'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 My brother lives in an apartment. He is an expert mechanic and people always ask him to fix their cars. He can't do it from his apartment, so a buddy of his lets him use his garage/driveway to work on the cars. Could be something like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Interesting thought, but would some have plates then (because some do)? And would he be able to get rid of them within days the majority of the time? It's fairly rare for anything to sit (except the van and the jeep) over there for more than a week. Most are gone within a few days. There was a brown pickup added yesterday, and a conversion van showed up today. It could be. Maybe he's working with a reseller who has an outlet and he's detailing them. I don't know how your state does license plates, but ours stay with the owner, not the car. I know some states they stay with the car, so it's possible if they're auction cars they still have plates. Of course, worse case is that they are stolen cars and that house is somewhere along the food chain. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 It's possible that it's like 'flipping' houses... Maybe they buy a vehicle for what you consider a good deal, then tidy it up, make minor fixes and try to sell it again for a new, slightly higher price. Even if it's only that you convince someone to pay $200 more than you paid for it, if it only took you 2 days, that's reasonable self-employment... and possibly 'tax free'. I think I would be far more into this idea if he didn't get rid of them so quickly! It just seem so odd that if he's selling them that they almost ALWAYS sell within a week. I guess, in the end, it probably doesn't really matter what he's doing, but it is so weird to see all the different cars coming and going all the time. My brother lives in an apartment. He is an expert mechanic and people always ask him to fix their cars. He can't do it from his apartment, so a buddy of his lets him use his garage/driveway to work on the cars. Could be something like this. I imagine this is the case & the reason why he doesn't do it at his own place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 It could be. Maybe he's working with a reseller who has an outlet and he's detailing them. I don't know how your state does license plates, but ours stay with the owner, not the car. I know some states they stay with the car, so it's possible if they're auction cars they still have plates. Of course, worse case is that they are stolen cars and that house is somewhere along the food chain. :tongue_smilie: I'll admit....I've wondered about that. That whole house has strange goings on that always make me wonder. There is an exterminator van that seems to show up a little too often (sometimes multiple times a week) and NEVER takes anything out and only stays for a few min usually. He (the son) also ordered a dumpster shortly after he moved in. We assumed he was going to empty out the house, clean it up, etc. Um....the dumpster just sits there most of the time....and has been there, now, for years. The son doesn't seem to be making any effort to clean the house up (it's kind of a dump) or clean out the garage (it is FULL of stuff that looks like junk) or anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Okay, now I want to visit and help you spy on the neighbor. Vastly more interesting than my neighborhood. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Whatever it is, it sounds obnoxious. I hate having people coming and going, and lots of cars around. It's unnerving. You want to know what's going on around you! I'd ask. Maybe even ask the woman neighbor. Be friendly about it though. If you do suspect drug activity, just start recording the makes and models and license plates. When the house next door to us was empty and for sale, cars kept coming and going from the garage- always at night. It was so weird and it freaked me out. I called the realtor and he laughed at me and gave me some excuse about the owner using it to park cars (which I figured wasn't true b/c the owner lived out of the state). After that call, I never saw cars there again. Sometimes just asking will help to subdue suspicious behavior if, in fact, it is suspicious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Also, I would totally assume there was drug activity. But I think everyone is on drugs. :lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Except he doesn't live there!?! And the son (who owns the house) doesn't seem to be involved in any way with this adventure.....whatever it is. If the man cleaning/detailing the cars lives in an apartment, his lease may state that he's not allowed to work on cars outside the apartment. When we lived in an apartment, our lease didn't allow us to even vacuum or clean our car outside our apartment. We had to take our car to someone else's house for that. Perhaps the person with the cars moving in and out is detailing/vacuuming/washing them at the son's house because he can't do it at his apartment? Jobs are hard to find. If what's happening is legal, then it's commendable for him to do whatever work he CAN find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reflections Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I would start checking Craigslist and see if any of the cars match any of the ads. Then I would start thinking about car stealing food chain. And, yes, it is drugs they are selling if it is cars only hanging for a minute. Don't be so sure the cops don't already know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Okay, now I want to visit and help you spy on the neighbor. Vastly more interesting than my neighborhood. :lol: Please! Come on over! I'd love some company - it gets lonely sitting here without any adult interaction day after day. Whatever it is, it sounds obnoxious. I hate having people coming and going, and lots of cars around. It's unnerving. You want to know what's going on around you!I'd ask. Maybe even ask the woman neighbor. Be friendly about it though. If you do suspect drug activity, just start recording the makes and models and license plates. When the house next door to us was empty and for sale, cars kept coming and going from the garage- always at night. It was so weird and it freaked me out. I called the realtor and he laughed at me and gave me some excuse about the owner using it to park cars (which I figured wasn't true b/c the owner lived out of the state). After that call, I never saw cars there again. Sometimes just asking will help to subdue suspicious behavior if, in fact, it is suspicious. It is very annoying. For awhile, I would take pictures of cars I recognized as coming frequently. I know I have a picture of the license plate of the exterminator van AND of another car that looked like a "typical" drug car if there is such a thing (tinted windows, lots of chrome, etc). Ironically, those are the 2 vehicles that I still see come around. Always only for a min or two. I'm a little leery of asking the female neighbor, because she seems to be pretty buddied up with him. Honestly, nobody really talks to anybody in our neighborhood. The few neighbors we did talk to occasionally, at one point, have since moved. They were the ones that had the key to the house and knew what was going on while the son was still in prison. They were the ones that told us what was up. Also, I would totally assume there was drug activity. But I think everyone is on drugs. :lol::lol: I probably assume this pretty quickly too, but I do feel it is warranted in this case. At least as a possibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 (edited) I had a similar neighbor with the quick drive ups and the myriad of cycling in and out cars that would be fixed up and then disappear. It was a couple of youngish men. It turned out that in addition to dealing drugs retail, they were occasionally using cheap cars to move larger quantities of drugs and the car flipping thing to wash their drug money by reporting drug money as income on their dubious car business. Sounds like they got of prison here and moved your street, LOL. Edited October 31, 2012 by kijipt Because I inadvertently pasted in a text from my brother in my message. Ugh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 I had a similar neighbor with the quick drive ups and the myriad of cycling in and out cars that would be fixed up and then disappear. It's a couple of youngish men. It turned out that in addition to dealing drugs retail, they were using cheap cars to move larger quantities of drugs and the car flipping thing to wash their drug money. Scarily enough, this sounds FAR more plausible to me than any of the more "straight" explanations. Just too many things that feel weird/don't add up. However, I REALLY hope this is not the case. We have a pretty quiet, older, but nice neighborhood. We do not live in an area of town you would expect drugs/crime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 The short visits from multiple cars is most likely drug dealing. I used to live in a low income neighborhood and we had a neighbor like that. We had a beat cop at that time and when we mentioned the "drug house" he was VERY interested. A month later they raided the place and shut it down. I would suspect the cars of being stolen or being used in some illegal activity. It does sound a bit suspicious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Except he doesn't live there!?! And the son (who owns the house) doesn't seem to be involved in any way with this adventure.....whatever it is. Well, we have a friend who lives in an apt and is not allowed to work on cars there in the parking lot, so he has to bring his car here to our house to do any work on it. I hope it's nothing illegal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readinmom Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 :iagree: The house across the street from ours has had that problem over the past four years. It has changed hands many times, but the pattern is the same. We have had police there often. It just doesn't end...I think the sobering thing is when one of my son's "former" friends starting knocking at the door and leaving quickly with the rest of his friends. This boy has now been arrested many times for drugs/alcohol/theft, etc. Good luck! Don't be afraid to call if you are suspicious. You have your kids to think of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookfiend Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Scarily enough, this sounds FAR more plausible to me than any of the more "straight" explanations. Just too many things that feel weird/don't add up. However, I REALLY hope this is not the case. We have a pretty quiet, older, but nice neighborhood. We do not live in an area of town you would expect drugs/crime. So have you ever talked to law enforcement about your suspicions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 So have you ever talked to law enforcement about your suspicions? You're describing several things that law enforcement would be interested in. It wouldn't hurt to stop by your local LE office and discuss with them what is and is not allowed, and what they would and would not like to know about. As an example, if he's dealing cars and it's more drug-related than an attempt at honest work, ask about what kinds of things you can report. Here, it's illegal to park a car in the street if it doesn't have plates. Reporting this, each and every time you see it, can shut down a home-based used car lot operation. Not something you'd want to do if it's feeding someone's family, but very much something you'd want to do if it's laundering drug money. Talk to LE about how to walk this line. Remember too that it's not your job to play Nancy Drew and get the whole story. You can calmly and clearly report what you see, without any assumptions about what's going on. "There is a red Chevy sedan with no tags parked in the street in front of 27 Main Street." "Today I observed three separate cars pull up, a person came out of the house briefly and talked to the driver, and the car pulled away." If there's any question about illegal activity, you owe it to your kids and your neighbors and your property values to report it. LE can't be everywhere. If they don't know about it, they can't fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Do you let your kids play outside? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loudwater School Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 If he's not fixing them up, and they don't have plates, could he (or his friends) be stealing them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 So have you ever talked to law enforcement about your suspicions? I haven't. I guess I just wasn't sure I had enough compelling info to not sound like a nosy neighbor :) You're describing several things that law enforcement would be interested in. It wouldn't hurt to stop by your local LE office and discuss with them what is and is not allowed, and what they would and would not like to know about. As an example, if he's dealing cars and it's more drug-related than an attempt at honest work, ask about what kinds of things you can report. Here, it's illegal to park a car in the street if it doesn't have plates. Reporting this, each and every time you see it, can shut down a home-based used car lot operation. Not something you'd want to do if it's feeding someone's family, but very much something you'd want to do if it's laundering drug money. Talk to LE about how to walk this line. Remember too that it's not your job to play Nancy Drew and get the whole story. You can calmly and clearly report what you see, without any assumptions about what's going on. "There is a red Chevy sedan with no tags parked in the street in front of 27 Main Street." "Today I observed three separate cars pull up, a person came out of the house briefly and talked to the driver, and the car pulled away." If there's any question about illegal activity, you owe it to your kids and your neighbors and your property values to report it. LE can't be everywhere. If they don't know about it, they can't fix it. Interesting perspective considering my "fear" of sounding like a crazy neighbor with way too much time on her hands. Do you let your kids play outside? I do, but only in the backyard (fenced). If they are out front, an adult is always with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeteranMom Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I'm suspecting that drugs are involved. Could they be getting the vehicles ready to be portable meth labs? We had a neighbor who had cars coming and going all day and night. He didn't let a trash service dispose of his garbage- very strange. The garbage sat in the back of his pickup. I think there might have been some prostitution going on, too. The cops were called many, many times, but could never find anything. Finally, an explosion at 2 a.m. one morning resulted in the house bursting into flames. It was all very suspicious, but the fire investigator never confirmed it was meth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Do you let your kids play outside? I did when in the same situation. IME drug dealers like that don't want ANY trouble and are not going to accost a kid or a mom and a kid. At least not in my my very low violent crime city and in a non-gang area. While I reckon it increases the odds of violence, the reality is that violent crime as opposed to drug and property crimes are rare around that area. I am not going to make my kids suffer for the sins of the neighbors. I will admit to being happy that we have moved but honestly, a dude dealing pot outside my house is hardly the worst thing I have lived with. I vastly preferred these dudes to the ones who would set up shop in the park across the street. If you cause a disturbance or solicit me or my kids, I will call the cops. If you lurk in my park I will call. If you are dealing drugs and leaving me alone I will only call if something dangerous happens. And I was well aware the police were aware of this little outfit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marylou Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 First thought--portable meth labs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Do the buyers or sellers look like junkies? While most drug users can look pretty nondescript, meth in particular takes a visible and vicious toll. I would certainly be aggressively seeking police assistance for a suspected meth house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 In college I knew a man who'd buy a car, fix it up and sell it. He's spend 2 days straight doing the work, and never register the car in his name. Went right from the seller to the next buyer. Not legal where we were, nor having a business like that in the neighborhood, but he was an good mechanic and a nice guy and putting himself through college. I never said anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I haven't. I guess I just wasn't sure I had enough compelling info to not sound like a nosy neighbor :) Oh, and most drug dealers would NOT call for a contained bonfire in a neighbor's yard. Smart ones don't want "the man" around, for obvious reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 This guy definitely isn't a mechanic.....that doesn't mean what he's doing isn't legit, but it's not mechanic work. He never has tools out, I've never seen him under a car, and rarely seen him with the hood up. I've seen him power wash (in the case of the RVs), or vacuum them out - I guess I'm assuming that's what he was doing. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure I remember ever seeing a vacuum, but that's not to say I didn't (I don't remember) - he had all the rear seats out of a van though. Honestly, I've never seen him spend more than a few hours on any one vehicle. Some, it seems, he doesn't really even touch - and then, they're gone. As far as selling them.....I think the reason I have a hard time with that is because I feel like there is no way he's selling all these cars that fast! Most are gone in less than a week - sometimes only a day or two. I never see anybody touch the vehicles, except him. He pulls up in them. He drives them away. Sometimes, he comes back in the same vehicle he left in. Sometimes, he doesn't. Nobody ever comes to look at them. Interestingly (I forgot about this), about a week and a half ago, DD12 texted me while I was at the infusion center asking how soon we'd be home (DH was with me). She was nervous because a dark colored car had pulled up to the neighbors and, according to her, 2 men were out looking at the license plates on the cars across the street. She said they came 3/4 of the way up our front walk (she took her siblings and hid), but never knocked or rang the doorbell. She said one of them was carrying a notebook/portfolio type thing. At the time, I just told her to close the blinds, lock the door, and go in the basement. I didn't think to ask her for additional info/details when we got home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I agree. Many cars showing up for just a minute or two is drug dealing. Our neighbor across the street in our old neighborhood was doing that. We were reporting the license plate numbers to the police. Unfortunately, we were the only people who ever spent time outside so he suspected us of the heat he was getting from the cops and city counsel. We can't prove it, but he got someone to bash in my van. They took out 3 windows and did some structural damage to the tune of $3,000. I saw the kid running away and think I recognized him at the house later. The dealer actually came over to our house and tried to tell us that he knew we thought he was dealing and he wasn't. He gave us this story about taking care of his wife and kids, blah, blah, blah. Apparently, his teenage son has lots of 30-40 something year old friends that visit for 1-2 minutes at a time. In addition to the dealing, there was a domestic arrest at the house when they first moved in. Another time there was an "armed robbery" at his house, complete with a story that didn't quite add up. If you do choose to keep track of visitors and report it, be careful of retaliation. We don't regret reporting it, but it did get a bit too dangerous for us so we left. (This issue and lead paint, combined, lead to us leaving.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGHEALTHYMOM Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Meth is a huge problem. EVERYWHERE! I grew up in a small rural town, it was there...went to College, cocaine was there. Both places dh and I have lived...in the middle of corn and soybeans... meth has been at neighbors....one house burnt down. Lots of traffic definitely a sign. Cars moving like that definitely can be a cover too. I would try to ask police if they are aware or watching him. And definitely watch your children! Teach them to be safe especially now. Better safe than sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whoareyou Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Do you live on my street?? We had a house like that. The entire thing just wigged me out. I'm still not totally sure what went on over there, but it was not 100% legal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Haven't read any replies, but it sounds like a "chop shop" where stolen cars are used for parts and then abandoned. It certainly would fit with the drug dealing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I would bet it's a chop shop. It often goes hand in hand with petty drug sales. When I lived in the city it was very common. When we first moved into the city, some guys were using the garage on our landlord's property to do this. (The landlord used the garage for storage, so neither he nor the tenants ever went in there. The chop shop guys just moved in and operated for some time before anyone figured out what was going on.) Also two doors down from us they operated that type of business out of the driveway. (Still do.) The only weird thing about what you describe is that you don't see them working on the cars much. With the neighbors that did this (mentioned above) we saw them out there tinkering with the cars all. the. time. I suppose it's possible that the cars are mechanically worked in one place, then cleaned and detailed in another??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Oh, and most drug dealers would NOT call for a contained bonfire in a neighbor's yard. Smart ones don't want "the man" around, for obvious reasons. Good point. They really never, ever want attention in any way, from neighbors or cops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Okay....3 things. #1 The van left around 8:45 this morning (it had only showed up midday yesterday). I didn't see the driver to tell if it was the guy who usually deals with the cars, but I assume it was. I did see that it had WI plates. #2 The van has now been replaced with one of the RVs from a few weeks ago?!? And....the guy who moves the car's gold car is gone too (apparently, he spent the night last night). Oh.....and he's back as I'm typing this. #3 DD said that while I was busy this morning, the car that the 2 guys that came up our walk drive was by again. This time they didn't get out. She did say that they took pics of one of the vehicle's license plates last time?!? Their car has tinted windows (all 4 - but the rear more so). Just for explanation sake.....the first pic is from 1st thing this morning (the van and white jeep on the left are the ones that get shuffled around - the dumpster is in front of the white jeep, and the silver car on the right is the older woman's), the 2nd pic is from right now (the gold car is the car that the guy who does all the car stuff drives). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkermamaof4 Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 This makes me like our HOA more and more. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzymom Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Whatever it is, seems likely it is shady. I would also think it is related to stolen vehicles being turned over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Whatever it is, seems likely it is shady. I would also think it is related to stolen vehicles being turned over. That is my gut instinct too. Something just seems fishy, though I can't put my finger on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 You would think if he was running a "chop shop" he wouldn't be so obvious about it. Any of them that I have heard of being busted up were always someplace like a barn, old buildings, etc. Not out in the open. You would also think that I'd see him pulling parts off.....and I don't. The car guy drove off in the RV a little while ago - leaving his gold car at the house. Who knows! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 Okay.....really weird! Today, the jeep and van were moved to the street. The RV left, and now he just showed back up with the conversion van from the other day.....only now it doesn't have any plates (it had WI plates on it the other day). He just left in the brown pickup with a bed full of random junk. The only thing I could identify in the bed was a bunch of car batteries (5-6 that I could see)....the rest just looked like scraps of things that were unidentifiable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 (edited) I have no idea what they are doing, but every time you mention the RV, all I can think about is the show, "Breaking Bad." Have you seen it?? The characters use an RV as a rolling meth lab. :blink: I sure hope that's not happening across the street from you! (And, no, I don't really think it is.) ETA: Have you called the non-emergency number for the local police and just spoken with anyone? I have a dear friend whose husband is an officer... my instinct says that this is something he would look into further. Edited November 2, 2012 by Spryte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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