[amberlymb]

This problem started a month ago. It all started when my neighbors dog went missing. We had never had any problems at all with these people, and w have lived next to them for a year. The day there dog went missing they asked us if we had seen it and my dad and my husband, and my nephew told them no we haven't. Well everything was OK, until later that night around 9:00. My husband, my niece and I were sitting at the table and we hear a knock on the door. Really not a second later my niece jumps up to answer it and there wasn't anone there. At the time we had no idea what was going on, till my stepdad walks out on the porch and the neighbor is standing on his porch and tells my stepdad we have a message in our mailbox. My stepdad send my nephew to get it and he brings it in and we all read it. They says in the letter that my husband took there dog and he better get it back or he will go to jail, and they will even pay for the dog back. After reading the letter we tell my mom, wich she was asleep during this because she works third shift. We woke her up and told her and she read it. She walked next door and asked the neighbors politely what was going on and what were they talking about. They got very offensive and started yelling saying my husband took their dog and they had a witness that saw it. My mom still very polite says we didt take there dog, and we had no idea what happened to their dog, and they yelled at her telling her to get out of their yard. So she did and walked back home and they were still constantly yelling at us saying my husband took their dog and he better be ready to go to jail, and my husband told them he didn't take it. They got loder and louder so my mom called the police. The police asked us if we knew where there dog was and we said no. An investigator was put on the case.
My husbands best friend died and he had to go to the funeral wich was in another county. He was gone for 2 days. While he was gone the investigaor came to the house and this was about 2 weeks later and in between that time we had called the police several times because of the neighbors making verbal threats to anyone who would come out of the house. The police did nothing about it. When my husband came home he called the investigator 2 days in a row all day long, leaving messages. The third day my husband calls him he actually catches him in the office and he asks my husband if he knows anything about the dog and my husband told him no. That was the first and only time my husband has talked to him. They obviously aren't worried about the dog and know we don't have the dog. The neighbors have come up several different stories about what happened to their dog and all of them they say my husband got the dog. They have said they saw him take the dog, they have said my husband give the dog away to a man up the street, and they have also said that my husband got in a vehicle and sold him somewhere, and they have ven said that my husband gave the dog to his mother, and she lives 2 hours away from us, and was nowhere around the day the dog came up missing. She came to visit 2 weeks later. These people stand at there door and watch our every move all day every day. Whne they are in there yard they make smug comments about the dog and call us names in front of our kids, like you Mu**** Fu****! And you fat whore! My husband and I have just told them over and over we didn't take their dog and they needed to leave us alone. It continues ever day and continues to get worse. In one of their statements they made one day they said they saw my husband in the front yard smoking crack. About 2 weeks later DHR, wich is child protective services shows up, and the alligation is only with my husband. They said they had a report made saying my husband was seen in the yard smoking crack. So we know it was the neighbors that did it. My husband emmediatly offers to take a drug test to clear it up and he passes it. And its been almost 2 weks later and we haven't heard from DHR. I know we have nothing to worry about, but it is crazy we have to live like this. The next day after DHR came the neighbor saw me and my husband loading our kids in the van about to leave and comes busting out of his door calling my husband in his yard so he could whoop his but, and we ignore him, and that made him even madder and he said I'm going to kill your babies, my kids heard that and they got very upset. We told the police and they did nothing.
A few days went by and the neighbors left us alone. My husband's mom comes to see us to get our kids for a visit like she always does every month, and we are all in the kitchen talking and our son runs out the door and he is 3 years old. We live at a dead end road and we let our kids play at the dead end when we are outside watching them but my 3 year old son doesn't quite understand that someone has to be out there with him. Well I'm standing at the kitchen window and I see my son by our mailbox and I see the neighbors wife standing in our driveway with a pen and paper in her hand, while I looking, my niece runs outside wich is 5 and when she gets to where the lady is standing she slips and falls. At this point I see my husband standing in the yard calling my son back in. And When my niece fell I see the old lady snatch my niece up by her arm. As soon as I saw this I ran out the door to where th lady was standing and I told her she had no business putting her hands on her and she better not ever touch one of the kids again. And of coarse she justifies her story and get violent with rage yelling more and we call the poilice once again. The police show up and we explain to them everything that has happened in the last month or so and they tell us they still can't do anything. And my sister wich is my neices mother would have to be the one to try to get a warrant for the lady's arrest for touching the child. But that is also no good, because my niece was very timid when the police asked her what happened she said she didn't know. Of coarse she would act that way because was scared and ddint know the police officer. I called my sister to let her know what had happened and she came over, and she walked to the neighbors and talked very polite tot hem and they were very polite to her. The lady told my sister that she never touched my niece all she did was ask her if she was OK. But when I told her not to ever touch the kids again she said I was just helping her up. My sister decided not to press charges because she didn't want to put her 5 year old daughter through court and all that crap. I wouldn't do it either with my own kids so I understand.
We really need help. The polic in our city and county will not do anything about these people. It has been said that they have connections and friend in the police dept. So does that mean they have more rights and we don't? We do have the right to live peacfully in our own home don't we? These people are being allowed to do and say whatever they want, and I am so tired of it. The only cameras we have areon our phones and they are not of good quality to record what these people are doing and we don't have the money to go buy a camera. So we have no way to prove what they are doing? So does that mean they can get away with what they are doing. Our right are being violated and I want something done about these people so I can feel safe to let my kids play outside and not have to worry about them being bothered or hurt, please help!

[rosemcs]

Can you space your paragraphs when you write?

There really is nothing you can do about it, besides ignore them. They sound horrible, but the only option, besides getting a video camera, is to move. Even if you lived in a homeowner's association, it would be referred to the police. I have some horrible neighbors down the street that are just like that. I keep away from them and don't talk more than one brief sentence of "hi" if their little girl comes by. Maybe, if you ignore them enough, after a while, they will settle down. Don't look at them or talk to them at all. They are not rational.

[ScottGem]

Please try and condense this. Its way too much to read.

[JudyKayTee]

Too much to wade through - BUT if your neighbors are harassing you, call the Police. If you have the time/money, consult with an Attorney.

When you call the Police be prepared to give the Police a true account of what happened - calling and then backing down hurts your "case."

[AK lawyer]

... It all started when my neighbors dog went missing. ... the neighbor is standing on his porch and tells my stepdad we have a message in our mailbox.... They says in the letter that my husband took there ... so my mom called the police. The police asked us if we knew where there dog was and we said no. An investigator was put on the case.
... they said they saw my husband in the front yard smoking crack. About 2 weeks later ... child protective services shows up, and ... My husband emmediatly offers to take a drug test to clear it up and he passes it. ... The next day after DHR came the neighbor saw me and my husband loading our kids in the van about to leave and comes busting out of his door calling my husband in his yard so he could whoop his but, and we ignore him, and that made him even madder and he said i'm gonna kill your babies, my kids heard that and they got very upset. We told the police and they did nothing.
... And When my neice fell i see the old lady snatch my neice up by her arm. ... and I told her she ... better not ever touch one of the kids again. And ... we call the poilice once again. The police show up and ... they tell us they still can't do anything. ... The lady told my sister that she never touched my neice all she did was ask her if she was ok. ...
We really need help. The polic in our city and county will not do anything about these people. It has been said that they have connections and friend in the police dept. So does that mean they have more rights and we dont? We do have the right to live peacfully in our own home dont we? These people are being allowed to do and say whatever they want, and I am so tired of it. The only cameras we have areon our phones and they are not of good quality to record what these people are doing and we dont have the money to go buy a camera. So we have no way to prove what they are doing? So does that mean they can get away with what they are doing. Our right are being violated and I want something done about these people so I can feel safe to let my kids play outside and not have to worry about them being bothered or hurt, please help!!

I tried to remove some of the irrelevant verbiage, with limited success.

Summary: neighbors
1) accused your family of taking their dog;
2) accused your husband of smoking crack on his front porch; and
3) touched the niece when she fell down. You denied any wrongdoing, with respect to the first two issues, and objected to the woman confronting & touching your child. All the rest is information we really don't need.

I agree with the others. Lighten up a bit. They haven't done anything you can do anything about.

[ScottGem]

I skimmed through and AK made a good summary. But I would change point 1) to:

1) accused your husband of taking their dog; claiming they have a witness.

I would have my attorney send them a letter saying that if they really had any proof then take it to the police. If not, shut up or you will sue them for libel.

[rosemcs]

I've been tempted to do stuff like that in the past, Scott, but when you have small children, it's a gamble if you are dealing with irrational people. In retrospect, it's cool, but could be dangerous. Just making yourself unemotional makes them more bored of picking on you.

It's similar to when someone cuts you off in traffic and you want to ram into them, but have to remember there are kids in the back seat.

[ScottGem]

I've been tempted to do stuff like that in the past, Scott, but when you have small children, it's a gamble if you are dealing with irrational people. In retrospect, it's cool, but could be dangerous. Just making yourself unemotional makes them more bored of picking on you.

It's similar to when someone cuts you off in traffic and you want to ram into them, but have to remember there are kids in the back seat.

I don't think it's quite the same. I don't think its cool at all to have to sue someone for libel. But I also don't think one should turn a blind eye to someone libeling you.

[AK lawyer]

... If not, shut up or you will sue them for libel.

Technically, it would be slander, actually.

Unless you're counting the letter in the mailbox, which was, it appears, read by family members only.

That's why "defamation" is a good, all-around term for it.

[ScottGem]

Yeah I always get them mixed up. I'll try to remember to use defamation to avoid the egg on my face ;)

[amberlymb]

Sorry if my explanation was too long. The police did read both letters, and still they did nothing. They pretty much said if they didn't see anything happen, there is nothing they can do. They have also said that if a neighbor was to put there hands on one of us, meaning attack us in any way, the police could do nothing about it unless they saw it. These people are obviously unhinged.

[JudyKayTee]

I had neighbors who were at best... well, nuts. I retained an Attorney after they harassed me, made accusations, threatened to poison my dogs.

After two years of a really bad living situation their homeowners insurance paid the claim and THEY moved.

Sometimes you just have to take a stand.

[twinkiedooter]

Your neighbors can hurl death threats all they want at you and your family and the police can't do anything about it unless they actually are there and see it happen. They can also stand on their property and wave around knives, axes, pitchforks and yell and scream death threats at you as well and the police can do nothing about that either unless they see it.

ONLY when the nutball neighbors come onto YOUR property and yell and scream death threats or wave knives, axes, pitchforks, etc, around at you THEN the police can do something about it as they are on YOUR property doing this behavior and are subject to arrest.

Would suggest you invest in some very, very large No Trespassing signs and post them every so many feet around your property. THEN call the police when nutball neighbors come onto your property.

Right now the yelling and screaming (according to the police) fall into the category of "My neighbor is shooting death rays at me" and they cannot do anything more except take an incident report on the activity.

You may want to speak to an attorney about getting a restraining order against these people. But be prepared for more mischief being done by the neighbor's friends. It will cost some real money to obtain this if you so choose to go this route and sometimes it can backfire in your face big time.

And they cannot be prosecuted for calling in false allegations to the DHS either as all callers are kept annonymous regardless if you know it's them or not. They can even stand outside their home and scream at the top of their lungs that they called up and reported you and there is nothing you can do about this.

[rosemcs]

I don't think it's quite the same. I don't think its cool at all to have to sue someone for libel. But I also don't think one should turn a blind eye to someone libeling you.

"Cool," meaning good idea, not "cool" as in fun... don't worry Scott, I think you always give good advice that I have seen.