My stepson used to live with us. His Dad made him leave our house because he was abusive, messy, inconsiderate and possibly on drugs. He stole from me back then, and he stole from me yesterday.
He has been living with friends for the last 10 months. We found out he was kicked out of thier house and has been living on the streets. On Thursday he called his Dad in terrible trouble. seems that there was an altercation and he was almost stabbed. My husband showed up and the police were involved, so he brought him back home. He looked dirty, unkept, fidgety & angry. It scared me!
On Saturday my husband and I went fishing and left him at our house which I didn't want to do. My husband said I was being paranoid. I decided maybe he was right so I went. My mistake.
We returned, my bedroom had been broken into. My diamond earrings money stamp coin collection & luggage was GONE. We looked for him to no avail. Wanted to file a police report but my husband said they can't do anything.
2007-04-22 11:42:59 · 42 answers · asked by LORI G 2 in Family & Relationships ➔ Marriage & Divorce
Yes, they can do something. You'll have to decide if the valuables were worth the discomfort of pressing charges. Some would say it is tough love. Others would just cut their losses and be more cautious when the son comes around again.
Your stepson is spiraling down for sure. If he continues on this path he will certainly end up in jail or worse. I wish you the best in this situation.
Felony charges depend on the dollar amount of the stolen goods. This may vary from state to state. Sorry for all your losses, the most precious one, of course, being trust.
2007-04-22 11:51:23 · answer #1 · answered by amazingly intelligent 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
This is terrible. I am so sorry that you and your family are going through something like this.
Sadly, YES, it is a felony if your stepson or any other family member is found guilty at stealing something over a specified value amount. Based on the assumption that your belongings were worth more than $1000, I would say it is safe to assume he very well could be convicted of a felonious crime.
You did not ask for an opinion as to whether or not you should press charges and it is clear your husband thinks not, but I would suggest doing so for sake of your stepson. With intervention through the courts, he may be required to participate in some kind of detox or drug rehabilitation program.
You cannot deal with his emotional problems, nor can he if he is self-medicating with drugs until he first gets clean and sober.
Many cannot understand or grasp the concept of, tough love or "not enabling" your stepson to ruin or run the family unit. Enduring life with him running the home can result in many uproars, conflicts, arguments, battles, and sometimes psychical and verbal abuse. Tough love is exactly that: TOUGH. Loving our children is unconditional, but we don’t have to like what they are doing or how they are destroying their lives.
There will come a time when a parent realizes enough is enough! This is the time that they need the support from outside sources, such as support groups, along with professional intervention. This does not reflect you as a parent, nor does it place blame on the family, it is your stepson that is making the bad choices and the family is suffering from it.
2007-04-22 11:55:07 · answer #2 · answered by lovemcss 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
What's considered a felony varies from state to state. Some states consider it a felony to steal anything over $1000, some $5000. Other states will file burglary charges if a person enters another place with the intent to commit a crime (even steal). Whether the victim is a family member or not isn't usually taken into consideration when it comes to breaking the law and whether the state's attorney will pursue felony charges.
Charges for "breaking & entering" would not be filed if he was allowed to stay at your house. Vandalism, a misdemeanor in most cases, might apply if damage was done to the door in order to gain access to an interior room.
2007-04-22 11:46:57 · answer #3 · answered by Mickey Mouse Spears 7 · 3⤊ 2⤋
A felony is not based on who does the stealing but the amount of what was taken. It is anything over $500.00 in Oregon. And yes! The police can do something, but your husband probably can't reconcile "doing anything" to his son. But, the kid is in trouble..deep trouble and you both know it. I would go to the D.A. discuss options, a D.A. can make recommendations that a judge will listen to such as telling the judge you will settle for 90 days in an inpatient drug rehab facility, or gambling facility etc. Whatever the problem is. But it reeks of an addiction problem of some kind. You would NOT be hurting him. You would be helping him. The streets will hurt him. Good luck to you.
2007-04-22 11:53:34 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like some jailtime might be great for him. Yes it is a felony even if it's family. You can and should press charges so the police start a record of him. Otherwise, it's like it never happened and he's free to keep doing this.
2007-04-22 11:49:11 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Yes, it is a felony and you can press charges. Sometimes the best thing for that kind of kid is tough love. I'd turn him in and let him face the consequences. If he is stealing now from you, he is only going to get worse.
2007-04-22 11:47:24 · answer #6 · answered by bluechick 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Oh yes they can! It doesn't matter if he is family or not. My neighbor was in a similar situation and they pressed charges. It sounds like he is out of control and may need to be slowed down. I'm sorry that you gave the benefit of the dought just for him to betray you and your husband. You guys must feel horrible. I hope you get everything worked out. Good luck!
2007-04-22 11:52:11 · answer #7 · answered by jhardinmom 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your husband is lying to you big time. Stop protecting his brat and call the police. You cannot recover anything from your insurance unless you file a report. They will find him at some point and charge him with felony theft. From there he may get the help he needs. Without this type of intervention he will never get his act straight.
2007-04-22 11:47:52 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Stealing no matter who does it is a crime... The monitary value of the goods taken determine whether or not it is a felony or misdemeanor crime...
Immediately call the police and file a report... Then do a bit of research/ detective work yourself visit local pawn shops and see if you see your goods.. If you do call the police they can go to the shop and aquirre the goods and pawn slip saying who pawned it to use in the case against who ever stole it...
2007-04-22 11:55:18 · answer #9 · answered by Diane (PFLAG) 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It is against the law for him to steal from you.
You can file a police report against your stepson, and chances are he will go to jail.
Also, if you're a homeowner, and have a personal property clause in your homeowner's insurance policy, you could possibly file a claim for your losses if they are not recovered.
2007-04-22 11:51:57 · answer #10 · answered by I do 26.2 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋