iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

My Customer was Vandalized

Started by Magicman, May 25, 2011, 10:36:59 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Magicman

I don't detail or mention every customer or saw job but some of them, for different reasons, are special.  This was one of them.  I posted several pictures of the logs and stickered lumber.  The customer and his wife brushed the sawdust from every board.  This was the location that I sawed Dodgy Loner's Cherry logs.  Pat and a Grandson visited me while I was sawing this job.  At their insistence, I left my sandwiches in the lunchbox and ate with the family.  It was just a special job and family.

Someone made a real mess of his place this past weekend.  They burned half of his stickered lumber, his utility trailer and his mobile home.  They really tried to burn his new home.




The left stack of stickered lumber is gone.



They really tried to set the new metal sided home on fire.






What is left of a very nice utility trailer.  They piled oak boards in it for fuel.



Another view with his burned mobile home in the background.



Completely destroyed mobile home. 

That Cherrybark Oak 1X8's was to be the inside wall paneling in his great room.  He will now fell, buck, and skid more logs.  When he calls he is automatically on top of my list.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

paul case

what a rotten deal.  did they catch the ones that set it? pc
life is too short to be too serious. (some idiot)
2013 LT40SHE25 and Riehl edger,  WM 94 LT40 hd E15. Cut my sawing ''teeth'' on an EZ Boardwalk
sawing oak.hickory,ERC,walnut and almost anything else that shows up.
Don't get phylosophical with me. you will loose me for sure.
pc

LOGDOG

I wonder if they were interrupted? It seems as though they'd have burned that other pile of stickered lumber. They seemed to be on a mission. I hope they're caught and punished. They need it.

pyrocasto

Wow people like that dont deserve freedom.

I wish we could take of body parts for serious crimes. Arm here, below the knee there. Pretty soon repeat offenders wont be able to repeat...

redbeard

what a terrible thing these criminals have done. I sure hope things work out for your customers.
Whidbey Woodworks and Custom Milling  2019 Cooks AC 3662T High production band mill and a Hud-son 60 Diesel wide cut bandmill  JD 2240 50hp Tractor with 145 loader IR 1044 all terrain fork lift  Cooks sharp

red oaks lumber

man stuff like that just ain't right. hopefully the low life get caught smiley_hanged
the experts think i do things wrong
over 18 million b.f. processed and 7341 happy customers i disagree

sgschwend

Sorry to see that. 

Folks work hard to use our resources wisely and this type of thing happens.
Steve Gschwend

sjgschwend@gmail.com

captain_crunch

Stealing something is bad enough but vandilism sucks. If caught part of anotomy needs nailed to barn floor barn set a fire and gve them a dull knife >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
M-14 Belsaw circle mill,HD-11 Log Loader,TD-14 Crawler,TD-9 Crawler and Ford 2910 Loader Tractor

Coon

They need to cut the vandals toes off just below their ears..... that's alot of hard work gone up in smoke.  >:( 
Norwood Lumbermate 2000 w/Kohler,
Husqvarna, Stihl and, Jonsereds Saws

Jeff

That looks like more then vandalism to me, it looks personal. I'd have to think the owners have a pretty good idea who did it and why.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

SwampDonkey

I would say someone was miffed or real jealous of what some one else has.

Who ever done it should be sentenced as if they committed murder and rot for a very long time.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Chuck White

I sorta agree with Jeff.  It looks personal to me to.

Very specific in what was destroyed!

It seems vandals would have been satisfied just tipping the lumber piles over and getting out of there.

Maybe...... there was another sawyer that really wanted that saw-job!

Hard to say, could be lots of things and definitely looks like more than one vandal!

No matter what way you look at it, it's enough to make a guy sick, especially after all of the hard work.
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Buck

Yep....not your everyday vandal that would move lumber to build a burn. Darn right its personal!
Respect is earned. Honesty is appreciated. Trust is gained. Loyalty is returned.

Live....like someone left the gate open

Magicman

I have only talked with the customer on the phone when he alerted me about what happened.

I agree, this is not a random act.  He was purposely targeted.  Thankfully, his new home is all metal construction or it would have gone up in smoke.   The only wood in the entire construction will be the Oak paneling that I sawed.  This property is on a dead end road with two other families living toward the end, and are all closely related.

I was so impressed with the closeness of the family.  No foulmouthed talking.

My thoughts are that this is not family or theft related at all, but "deer hunting".  I'm thinking that there is some bad blood with some adjoining land/lease holders.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Bill Gaiche

MM, this is a sad time for you to see and the owner to overcome. I was impressed with your earlier post and photos of your sawing job for this customer. I agree that there is some bad blood in the area from some sorry human being. They are cowards and I am quite sure that they will be found. Restitution and some jail time could help the pain a little but, the bad memories will always last. Hope every day gets better for them. bg

Chris Burchfield

I hope your friends come out okay and law enforcement catches the bad guys.  Arson is one of the hardest crimes to prosecute.  In Tennessee a loss of $25. or more they can be charged with Arson.  If a person sets fire to a structure and it is reasonable to believe the structure is occupied, the charge is Aggravated Arson.  Aggravated Arson carries the same penalties as Attempted Murder.  Prosecutors here just about need a picture of them setting the fire or have a confession before they'll prosecute.

Any I sent to jail, I had a confession and all paid their price.  I had only one set Arson For Profit fire that I was not able to charge the culprits.  I knew who was involved, witnesses to see people inside just could not provide a positive I.D. on them.  The bad guys were from Middle Tennessee.  Bought a house in my town at an inflated insured rate before it burned.  The home had problems that needed to be repaired before the home could be lived in.  Those problems still existed and were found after the fire.  Became a Civil case.  Bad guy sued the Insurance Company for non payment.  I sifted the entire burn through a 3/8" hardware cloth.  Bad guys claimed to have two silver service sets and two sets of china in the home.  During the sift I matched like plate materials, none of which turned out to be china.  Any silver colored melted metal was tested with acid and all turned out to be aluminum.  The contents of the house were purchased from yard sales and still had the yard sale price stickers on them  The case was heard by a jury.  In the end, the bad guys went home without spit.  The jury decided the bad guys were the only ones to profit from the burn.  This was not a random act by criminals.  The judge told them not to come back over here and try it again because that man (me) wanted to lock them up.  The judge asked the client's attorney's if they understood.  They replied yes.  The site was bull dozed clean.  The home was not rebuilt by illicit funds.  The bad guys gave the lot to the attorney who represented them in court as they had no money and had gone through bankruptcy prior to the fire.  The attorney had a home built for his mother there. 
Woodmizer LT40SH W/Command Control; 51HP Cat, Memphis TN.

Magicman

This is South West Mississippi.  There will not be any catching and prosecuting here.  We have just learned to live with it.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Dodgy Loner

That is an utter shame :(. I just don't understand how someone could feel justified in committing such a thoughtless act.
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

KyTreeFarmer

Magicman
Honest and upright folks never understand how scoundrels work. They will get their rewards in due time, but unfortunately your customers still have to deal with the bad memories. Best of luck to them.
KTF
Woodmizer LT15G
Belsaw from Sears & Roebucks
8N Ford
87 Kubota 2550 W/FEL

Jeff

Quote from: Magicman on May 26, 2011, 10:44:41 AM
This is South West Mississippi.  There will not be any catching and prosecuting here.  We have just learned to live with it.

I don't understand this. Why?
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Radar67

Jeff, law enforcement in that area is severely lacking. A land owner literally has to take matters into their own hands to get justice in most cases.
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

LOGDOG

In Louisiana there's actually a law on the books, (I'd have to pull it up...) that says if you have 20 acres or more you're allowed to patrol it and protect it with deadly force. Truth be told, if this family had been inside the house when these idiots were trying to set it on fire, the homeowner would have been completely justified shooting them dead. Those vandals need to think about that, but they obviously didn't.

Larry

Quote from: LOGDOG on May 26, 2011, 12:46:22 PM
Truth be told, if this family had been inside the house when these idiots were trying to set it on fire, the homeowner would have been completely justified shooting them dead.

If they had been home nothing would have burned.  The scuzzbums are not only low lifes but chicken ....

A chronicle of the same type of character in North Missouri is here.

In Broad Daylight

My neighbor when I lived in Rushville Mo. was another creep that had an arrest record longer than your arm.  Burn outs, shooting live stock, burning farm equipment, was his mode of terror.  He would have met the same fate as the above link, but thank goodness the Feds got him first.  He made the national spotlight by committing a hate crime.  The Feds don't mess around and locked him up for 15 years with no parole.

We have very little of that thing were I live now.  Counties to the east are dirt poor with little money for law enforcement...different story.  Like coakroaches the creeps flee the light to reside there.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

TimRB

Quote from: Magicman on May 26, 2011, 10:44:41 AM
This is South West Mississippi.  There will not be any catching and prosecuting here.  We have just learned to live with it.

You may be right, but I wouldn't give up just yet.  One thing about people who commit crimes like this--they tend to be morons, and morons blab.  Once that starts, and the story gets around, the police may be able to come up with worthwhile leads.

We once had an incident here where someone wantonly killed another's dog and got away.  Months later he was in jail for some unrelated crime and bragged about killing the dog to his cellmate, who happened to be a dog lover...

Tim

Magicman

Quote from: Jeff on May 26, 2011, 12:16:16 PM
I don't understand this. Why? 

I'll try to answer this without getting this thread Restricted or Woodsheded.

:-\   I've typed it, retyped it, edited it, reworded it, and I just can not answer that on an open forum.  Since over 95% of the landowners are non-resident, "you can't vote for me so why should I help you?"  We have no say so in any government matters, meaning that we have taxation without representation. 

I apologize, but I had to delete most of the above paragraph.  I just can't describe where/why we have a total lack of law enforcement.  It is as if when bad things happen, we are simply getting what we deserve.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Thank You Sponsors!