homeless person trespassing at apartment complex

[northexpedition]

A homeless kid has been living in the laundry room at my apartment complex and I have been trying to get him arrested for trespassing. I have emailed the apartment management more than once and they have so far done nothing except tell residents to lock the door to the laundry room, which obviously doesn't do anything if he has a key.

At 5AM as I was taking out the trash, and I was checking the laundry room to make sure it was clear so I could do some laundry. The homeless guy opens the door and asks me "Hey blood, do you have WiFi?" I told him no, and he tried to watch me enter my apartment. I pretended to go somewhere else and waited until he went back into the laundry room and called the police. Eventually the police arrived, questioned him, and escorted him off the property. Only a few minutes later I hear something, and through the window blinds I see it's the same guy getting his bicycle, talking all kinds of trash. He said "I know it was you! I see you looking at me! I'll be coming back for you!" I opened my door and said "Don't come back here." I called the police again and they said "I'm not sure how he got back in your apartment complex after we escorted him away. If we see him again we will talk to him."

I am probably a few weeks away from getting my CHL and I anticipate running into this lowlife again. What should I do if I see him again after he threatened me? Can I perform a citizens arrest if I catch him in the laundry room and he acts threatening towards me?

[Richbirdhunter]

Can't you carry your gun with you if you are going from your home to your truck or from your truck to your home? If this is correct I'd always be walking to or from my truck while waiting for my CHL.

[Beiruty]

A homeless kid has been living in the laundry room at my apartment complex and I have been trying to get him arrested for trespassing. I have emailed the apartment management more than once and they have so far done nothing except tell residents to lock the door to the laundry room, which obviously doesn't do anything if he has a key.

At 5AM as I was taking out the trash, and I was checking the laundry room to make sure it was clear so I could do some laundry. The homeless guy opens the door and asks me "Hey blood, do you have WiFi?" I told him no, and he tried to watch me enter my apartment. I pretended to go somewhere else and waited until he went back into the laundry room and called the police. Eventually the police arrived, questioned him, and escorted him off the property. Only a few minutes later I hear something, and through the window blinds I see it's the same guy getting his bicycle, talking all kinds of trash. He said "I know it was you! I see you looking at me! I'll be coming back for you!" I opened my door and said "Don't come back here." I called the police again and they said "I'm not sure how he got back in your apartment complex after we escorted him away. If we see him again we will talk to him."

I am probably a few weeks away from getting my CHL and I anticipate running into this lowlife again. What should I do if I see this guy again after he made a terroristic threat towards me? Can I perform a citizens arrest if I catch him in the laundry room and he acts threatening towards me?

No, do not do it. It is not justified and you are not a Police Officer. Avoid him and ask the LEO that you would like to press charges for the verbal threat.

[cbr6864r]

Holding a CHL doesn't make you a cop. Simply call police inform them he has made threats against you and you are in fear for your safety. A word of advice don't contact anyone you plan on calling the cops on especially when they know where you live.

[northexpedition]

A word of advice don't contact anyone you plan on calling the cops on especially when they know where you live.

Calling the police is usually a last resort, but this has been an ongoing problem that won't solve itself without police intervention. Somehow he found out where I live before I even opened my door to tell him not to come back. I had tried to keep it a secret but I guess he found out where I live somehow. This is my home though and I have nowhere else to run. I have to do something about this because he does not belong here. It would be kind of crazy for me not to call the cops on him, especially when he is clearly breaking the law and has no right to be here. I had no choice. I was trying to do my laundry.

I mean my apartment complex is not a homeless shelter. He shouldn't get free WiFi and a warm place to hang out, in the same room where I do my laundry. This is probably the 5th time he has trespassed and nobody is doing anything about it except me. I don't want to fight but I will carry a knife in the meantime just in case. I guess I will just call the police next time I see him.

[GlassG19]

A word of advice don't contact anyone you plan on calling the cops on especially when they know where you live.

Yes, I am aware of that. Calling the police is usually a last resort but this has been an ongoing problem that would not solve itself without police intervention. Somehow he found out where I live before I even opened my door to tell him not to come back. I had tried to keep it a secret but I guess he found out where I live somehow. I live here though and it would be kind of crazy for me not to call the cops on him, especially when he is clearly breaking the law and has no right to be here. I had no choice. I was trying to do my laundry.

I mean my apartment complex is not a homeless shelter. He shouldn't get free WiFi and a warm place to hang out, in the same room where I do my laundry. This is probably the 5th time he has trespassed and nobody is doing anything about it except me. I don't want to fight but I will carry a knife in the meantime just in case.

Not to discredit your decisions so far; I personally would have tried visiting in conversation to whether I could have helped him find (warm) shelter or a different place to stay. Being homeless isn't a sign of a "criminal" ( not assuming he is or isn't a criminal) & I firmly believe a little compassion in the beginning goes along way. I know personal homeless person who is not a drug addict (recovered) & acholic & is really a great human being & I "try" to understand if I was by chance in that same situation, where & what would I do. Not good for him staying in your laundry mat for sure but maybe a helping hand sometimes goes way better than current circumstances. Just IMPO. Hope everyone stays safe through this.

[rbwhatever1]

I agree with the other guy up there. Carry your firearm to and from your vehicle always and do laundry elsewhere until the threat is gone or you can move. Life is way too short and fragile to live in a hostile / questionable environment.

[northexpedition]

Not to discredit your decisions so far; I personally would have tried visiting in conversation to whether I could have helped him find (warm) shelter or a different place to stay. Being homeless isn't a sign of a "criminal" ( not assuming he is or isn't a criminal) & I firmly believe a little compassion in the beginning goes along way. I know personal homeless person who is not a drug addict (recovered) & acholic & is really a great human being & I "try" to understand if I was by chance in that same situation, where & what would I do. Not good for him staying in your laundry mat for sure but maybe a helping hand sometimes goes way better than current circumstances. Just IMPO. Hope everyone stays safe through this.

You and the few posters above you make some interesting points. I remember when I first caught him in there he tried to get me to talk to him and said "I'm just charging my phone in here, you can use the room if you need to" and then he fled the area as soon as I pulled up my phone about to call the cops. Now, I want to be compassionate towards homeless people, but this is a violation of my living space.

Still you have a good point though, I could have avoided all of this I'm sure if I had just leveled with him. The first time I saw him though he was wearing street gang clothes and my sixth sense was telling me not to talk to him, so I just ignored him. He acts really suspicious and isn't someone I'd normally talk to. He talks like he's from the ghetto, wears the color red, you get the idea.

I was homeless for a very brief amount of time (one week) when I was younger and I never did anything like this. It annoys me but y'all are right, I guess I should just avoid the situation at all costs and call the police.

[GlassG19]

Not to discredit your decisions so far; I personally would have tried visiting in conversation to whether I could have helped him find (warm) shelter or a different place to stay. Being homeless isn't a sign of a "criminal" ( not assuming he is or isn't a criminal) & I firmly believe a little compassion in the beginning goes along way. I know personal homeless person who is not a drug addict (recovered) & acholic & is really a great human being & I "try" to understand if I was by chance in that same situation, where & what would I do. Not good for him staying in your laundry mat for sure but maybe a helping hand sometimes goes way better than current circumstances. Just IMPO. Hope everyone stays safe through this.

You and the few posters above you make some interesting points. I remember when I first caught him in there he tried to get me to talk to him and said "I'm just charging my phone in here, you can use the room if you need to" and then he fled the area as soon as I pulled up my phone about to call the cops. Now, I want to be compassionate towards homeless people, but this is a violation of my living space.

Still you have a good point though, I could have avoided all of this I'm sure if I had just leveled with him. The first time I saw him though he was wearing street gang clothes and my sixth sense was telling not to talk to him, so I just ignored him. He acts really suspicious and isn't someone I'd normally talk to. He talks like he's from the ghetto, wears the color red, you get the idea.

I was homeless for a very brief amount of time (one week) when I was younger and I never did anything like this. It annoys me but y'all are right, I guess I should just avoid the situation at all costs and call the police.

Yes sir, I'm a firm believer that you always go with your sixth sense. I just pray that this person will get the point & move on, so nobody has to be put in bad situation, if you know what I mean.
Prayers with both of y'all.
"Carry on" lol! Literally & figuratively..

[cbr6864r]

Contact property management company file formal complaint and inform them you wish to terminate your lease if they do not promptly address the issue. I had a similar problem back when i first moved here and rented an apartment. It was in a nice area of katy and i was paying a good amount so I was beyond irritated to discover certain people blasting rap music and selling drugs. Apartment manager did nothing so I called cops they of course did nothing because as soon as cops showed up they all disappeared. Eventually it escalated to the point where i confronted them while walking my dog. Lets just say it didnt go well several officers responded but in the end they were all evicted. Looking back it was a horrible decision as I put my girlfriends life at risk as they all knew where I lived. I promptly moved after being released from my lease.

[northexpedition]

^Good suggestion, I just emailed the property manager and told them exactly that. They sent out an email before telling all residents to lock the door to the laundry room, and obviously that did nothing to deter him.

Update: I just checked the laundry room and he left a ton of clothes and a torn up backpack in the trash can, probably for later retrieval. I put all of his clothes in a trash bag outside the laundry room and wrote a note that says "Sorry dude, I didn't want to call the police but you can't be living in my laundry room. Take your stuff and leave. Don't come back."

[GlassG19]

^Good suggestion, I just emailed the property manager and told them exactly that. They sent out an email before telling all residents to lock the door to the laundry room, and obviously that did nothing to deter him.

Update: I just checked the laundry room and he left a ton of clothes and a torn up backpack in the trash can, probably for later retrieval. I put all of his clothes in a trash bag outside the laundry room and wrote a note that says "Sorry dude, I didn't want to call the police but you can't be living in my laundry room. Take your stuff and leave. Don't come back."

Do you have security cameras there? Even if not, I would inform him that there are hidden cameras to help deter any criminal activities & that police know who he is.
Best of luck.

[Mike S]

A homeless kid has been living in the laundry room at my apartment complex and I have been trying to get him arrested for trespassing. I have emailed the apartment management more than once and they have so far done nothing except tell residents to lock the door to the laundry room, which obviously doesn't do anything if he has a key.

At 5AM as I was taking out the trash, and I was checking the laundry room to make sure it was clear so I could do some laundry. The homeless guy opens the door and asks me "Hey blood, do you have WiFi?" I told him no, and he tried to watch me enter my apartment. I pretended to go somewhere else and waited until he went back into the laundry room and called the police. Eventually the police arrived, questioned him, and escorted him off the property. Only a few minutes later I hear something, and through the window blinds I see it's the same guy getting his bicycle, talking all kinds of trash. He said "I know it was you! I see you looking at me! I'll be coming back for you!" I opened my door and said "Don't come back here." I called the police again and they said "I'm not sure how he got back in your apartment complex after we escorted him away. If we see him again we will talk to him."

I am probably a few weeks away from getting my CHL and I anticipate running into this lowlife again. What should I do if I see this guy again after he made a terroristic threat towards me? Can I perform a citizens arrest if I catch him in the laundry room and he acts threatening towards me?

No, do not do it. It is not justified and you are not a Police Officer. Avoid him and ask the LEO that you would like to press charges for the verbal threat.

I could be wrong on this (been wrong before), but I believe a citizens arrest is only for a felony committed in your presence. Also consider that even though its legal to use force to eject a trespasser, I tend to recommend to people to call police rather than putting 'hands on' a trespasser; this could go south in a heartbeat, especially with the situation you described.

I'm not suggesting that you ignore it, or tap dance around, but also consider that the 'No Duty to Retreat' & 'Presumption of Reasonableness' clauses in TPC 9.31 & 9.32 require that we didn't provoke. (Not saying you did, just be careful of how you interact if/when the next time you run across this fella).

Calling the police to report the trespasser, following up with management like you did, & remaining vigilant are all very prudent things to do. If you haven't already, I'd also suggest a follow up call to police to let them know about the threat he uttered, what you found in the laundry room, & that you are concerned he will return to fetch his stuff.

[northexpedition]

^I did some research on the laws regarding this, and yes, I think you're right. http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/D ... /CR.14.htm

Art. 14.01. OFFENSE WITHIN VIEW. (a) A peace officer or any other person, may, without a warrant, arrest an offender when the offense is committed in his presence or within his view, if the offense is one classed as a felony or as an offense against the public peace.

[MeMelYup]

You are renting. Write to management of the property and inform them that there is a person that hangs out in the laundry room and seems to be homeless. That this person has threatened you. The management should to the best of their ability take care of the situation. Send it by registered mail and keep a copy.