Road closed / opened

[square1]

If you have to hire a lawyer, you lose. There are plenty of "No Fee Unless We Win" lawyers willing to take the case for the injured, but you (not your insurance company because trespassing is a criminal act your insurance company will rightfully use to skate out of responsibility) are going to pay the lawyer for your defense. The "no Fee Unless We Win" lawyer will also sue the property owner and in turn the property owner's insurance company lawyers will come after you as part of their defense. The $160k to buy the property might end up seeming like a good price when you add the potential lawyer fess to the fines / jail time.

I'm reading this thread for the first time and thinking "Wow, just wow!". Someone earlier wisely suggested the OP get off of, and stay off of the property, and that in the event someone is injured by ANY debris (not just that placed by the OP) on the property it's probably to late given his actions have surely been observed by others. That was spot on advice / observation.

 

[widefat]

Who cleared the land directly behind your house?

 

[Michael Aos]

Several different people (not me) had cleared his debris off the trail over the last few weeks. His schedule must have changed (I think he rotates between nights for a quarter and days for a quarter) because Crazy Russell was working out there like crazy yesterday afternoon (I like to video it, even though I don't imagine the video has any use).

 

[Michael Aos]

Quick summary for the folks that don't want to read the whole thread:

On leg of the paths through the vacant ~20acres behind me is angled such that dirt-bikes, off-road vehicles, and criminals illegally dumping wind up driving right next to my fence.

I built a NEW path and put up signs on the old path, effectively saying "please use new path instead". It worked GREAT. For a while.

Random neighbor (Crazy Russell) down the street, who has no vested interest and is not impacted in any way has taken offense to the new path. He likes to walk in the field and he says the signs, sign posts, and new path is "ugly".

At every opportunity, he tears down the signs and posts and scatters debris (along with handfuls of screws and nails) to discourage people from using the new path and encourage them to use the old path (which routes them to my backyard).

Video

The new path moves the guys with the screaming 2-stroke dirt bikes from 100 feet to 200 feet (an extra 100 feet at the closest point) from my deck chair. It makes a huge difference.

The guys on the ATV's / dirt bikes like to go around in circles, like a motocross track and blast out of the corner behind me.

Nobody else using the privately owned vacant lot seems to care either way. They just use whichever path is open at the time.


--

 

[prichard]

I still don't understand why you think you have control over land that you don't own. If it's that important buy the land, do as wish and prosecute trespassers.

 

[the old grind]

IIRC, last time someone inquired, the property was in probate and heirs 'down East' to ownership showed minimal interest in its immediate disposition.

Yes, buy the property, then pour a slab and build a pavilion right behind Russel's house. You can play Celene Dion over the fence every time you picnic there.

 

[LouNY]

Or just lease it for 6 months, do what you want run everybody off, fence it and be done.

 

[MossRoad]

Quick summary for the folks that don't want to read the whole thread:

On leg of the paths through the vacant ~20acres behind me is angled such that dirt-bikes, off-road vehicles, and criminals illegally dumping wind up driving right next to my fence.

I built a NEW path and put up signs on the old path, effectively saying "please use new path instead". It worked GREAT. For a while.

Random neighbor (Crazy Russell) down the street, who has no vested interest and is not impacted in any way has taken offense to the new path. He likes to walk in the field and he says the signs, sign posts, and new path is "ugly".

At every opportunity, he tears down the signs and posts and scatters debris (along with handfuls of screws and nails) to discourage people from using the new path and encourage them to use the old path (which routes them to my backyard).

Video

The new path moves the guys with the screaming 2-stroke dirt bikes from 100 feet to 200 feet (an extra 100 feet at the closest point) from my deck chair. It makes a huge difference.

The guys on the ATV's / dirt bikes like to go around in circles, like a motocross track and blast out of the corner behind me.

Nobody else using the privately owned vacant lot seems to care either way. They just use whichever path is open at the time.

View attachment 547000
--

You should have also included in your quick summary that you do not own the land and both you and crazy russell are doing whatever you please on someone else's property without their permission, opening both of you up to legal liability if someone gets hurt.

Man, just buy it or wash your hands of it and stay off it until you own it or have permission to be on it and have enough insurance to cover yourself if you get sued. You're putting yourself and your family in legal danger and could lose everything you own.

 

[widefat]

You should have also included in your quick summary that you do not own the land and both you and crazy russell are doing whatever you please on someone else's property without their permission, opening both of you up to legal liability if someone gets hurt.

Hence my post #102. Someone cleared a bit of land directly behind the ops house. OP didnt address that. I pretty sure it was'nt the easter bunny.

 

[the old grind]

So, neither guy belongs on that property, but at least we get to scold one of them ..... "keepin' it simple, we are."

I love a happy ending.

btw, I wouldn't go against the greater authority of TBN members as a whole, but I feel a bit of compassion for a guy who seeks understanding if not a nuclear option when dealing with (other?) 'uncomfortable' neighbors. We hear of such things from time to time.

"Let the idiot masses run rampant while we judge each other by their intentions!"

 

[Dadnatron]

Russell is back.

View attachment 517569

Give it time... Russell is headed to the doctor for a bad back in no time.

 

[Dadnatron]

Heh...and Russel is thinking "Aos is back"

I'm Googling to find the opposing side's forum. This is like MSNBC and FOX.

 

[John Fitzgerald]

I think the OP should sell and move away if he can't either buy the property in question, or just let it go, and stay away. This whole scenario is silly.

 

[gwstang]

Well, if the OP lived down here....He would just whip crazy Russell arse and the problem would be solved.

 

[Oldoak]

I think the OP should sell and move away if he can't either buy the property in question, or just let it go, and stay away. This whole scenario is silly.

Particularly since neither party involved actually owns the property. :confused3:

 

[Michael Aos]

Quick update. After an interaction with Crazy Russell, someone shot out the window of my truck. Later, another interaction, and another truck window shot out overnight.

I've had a temporary restraining order against him for the last couple months.

We met with a court-ordered mediator today (12/24). Nice little old lady. Reminded me very much of my grandmother. He claimed he hadn't shot out the windows. Said he didn't even know I had a truck... In fact, he accused me of vandalizing his property. Had several pictures and reports for the mediator. He suggested we just pay for our own damages and said he was sorry I had property damage and he was sorry he had property damage...

The mediator wrote up this little blurb and we both signed it:

"The parties agreed to work together keeping people from dumping trash on the property behind their houses. They will call code enforcement to find out how to get trash removed from the path behind properties. Parties will be respectful to each other and respect the property of the other and leave the property in question alone".

I definitely don't see this as a win or anything for me, but honestly I've got a million other things that require my attention and I'm tired of messing with this.

 

[airbiscuit]

When my daughter was in college, she called to vent one day because she had an incompetent manager and lazy or unreliable co-workers and had to work a double shift. When she was done venting, she said "i'm okay now". I remember when you told me "You can't change other people, you can only change how you react to them".

I was astonished:
That I had said that to her
That she actually listened to her Dad

 

[bunyip]

That she actually listened to her Dad

Happens sometimes, leaves me a little speechless.
Daughter is a nurse and had a male patient making unwanted approaches, she said that he laid in bed saying guess what I am holding in my hand while I'm looking at you.
I told her to say 'if you can hold it in one hand I'm not interested', she did and it devastated him apparently, I thought it would.