I'm just catching up on the list messages, so my condolences on your cat are coming a bit late... I'm really sorry to hear about that whole incident - it was truly a despicable set of acts.
I'm glad to hear they caught the culprits - hopefully the throw the book at the non-juveniles. -bryon "Miller, Jeffrey" wrote: > First off, I'm -completely- amazed at all of you for the emails offlist and the > suggestions about what to do; I've been in a state of shock about all this, and as > much as I'd like to express with eloquence how this has effected me, I'm still too > close to the event to really process it. > > At the neighborhood hardware store last night, getting new glass, the shopkeeper > asked why I needed 3 panes of glass, and as I told him the story, he nodded and said > that 2 other homes in my neighborhood had received similar treatment (funny, the > cops never mentioned a string of these incidents..) I walked over and chatted with > the other households, introduced myself, etc. One woman had some china in.. well, > whatever those special cabinets you china in are called.. broken by the shot; the > rest of us just dug .22 rounds out of plaster or woodwork. Getting home, I called > the officer who gave me his contact number and left a message, asking for any > uupdates or info about a possible string of incidents, etc. > > This morning, I had a voicemail from the officer who I spoke with the day before, > saying that they had caught the guy! In what can only be described as a Law & Order > moment, a person out walking thier dog saw a minivan/SUV driving fast through a > nearby neighborhood, and called 911 and reported the plates. A nearby patrol car > took the call and stopped the vehicle, inside 3 teen boys and a loaded .22 rifle > (/slightly/ illegal in and of itself) They impounded the vehicle and hauled them > down to the station, and one of them admitted to driving around, looking for windows > and signs to shoot up (this is a residental neighborhood in Seattle, NOT rural > farmland/suburbia). The others admitted as well, including killing the cat, and > are, needless to say, in some serious hot water. > > The youngest is still a minor, and his parents have already contacted me and have > offered to pay for -all- the damages (including whatever costs are associated with > cremating Kira *and* the adoption/vet fees on a new cat!) I've thanked them, and > accepted their offer to make some amends; their kid will be flippin' burgers all > summer to cover the cost, they assure me (if he avoids juvie). The charges against > them for what amounts to vandalism are actually pretty minor, I'm told, compared to > the weapons charge (loaded weapon in a vehicle, discharging a weapon within N yards > of a school, some other stuff). > > I'm putting on my best face of forgiveness, and hoping that some change for the > better comes into their lives from this, but I am still really shaken, and its going > to take some time for me to really figure out how I feel.. anger? frustration? > fear? loneliness? They're all there, but muddled and mixed. I'll be ok, though :) _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
