What is the name of your state? Vermont
My family and I live in a duplex here in Vermont. The tenants who live next door are being evicted( I have posted here previously on that matter). Their date for temination is this Sunday the 16th. They have refused to vacate and the landlord and I both agree that they will end up being removed forcefully by a sheriff with a court order.
On May 13th the woman physically assaulted me. She was arrested that day and was processed and released. Her arraignment was set for June 19th. Apparently the District Attorney's office offered her the option of applying to enter the Diversion program here in this state. Which is a program put in place to offer an alternative to a criminal record for first time offenders. Now I had no contact with the DA's office and I do not feel that this was an appropriate decision based on what was done, but it is out of my hands.
Now I cannot get any information on this process, no information can be given to me because I am not the offender. The only thing that I was told, was that paperwork would be sent to my home for me to fill out, where I could explain what I felt would be appropriate restitution for damages, etc.
So I have been waiting for this paperwork to come in the mail and as of yesterday had not received anything. Now when I pulled into my driveway yesterday, the woman came out into the driveway screaming obscenities at me in the presence of my two year old daughter.
We rushed inside the house, locked the doors and called the police. My kitchen window was open, and she must have heard me call the cops and request that on officer come to our house becuase she jumped in her car and high tailed it out of there. Minutes later the husband left the house as well.
The original responding officer from May called me back, I explained the situation to him, unfortunately there are NO laws on the books regarding verbal harassment, even when exacerbated by a history of physical violence by the same person.
We discussed this at length, I can't even get a restraining order against her, because in Vermont you have to be related or live in the same living quarters to get one. He did recommend that I contact the diversion program and make them aware of the problem that occurred and have them add that to her case file, becuause that could get her automatically excluded from the program, and she would then get thrown back into the court system, which may give me more options for protection.
I contacted the woman at the diversion program and explained the situation to her. She asked me if I had received the paperwork she had sent me to fill out regarding restitution against the neighbor. (This neighbor caused 650 dollars worth of damage to my car when she assaulted me and my doctors bill from the incident).
I told her I had not received it and asked her when she mailed it. She told me she had mailed it Friday morning of last week. Now the diversion program office is located 3 BLOCKS from my house. In town mail takes one day. She confirmed that she did have the correct mailing address. She told me that my neighbors hearing with the review board is this Wednesday and that it was crucial to get these papers in prior to the hearing.
Now here is the strange thing, my mail on Saturday when I came home was scatterd, it was strewn in the mailbox, and some was on the floor of my porch. Now my postman is great, he neatly puts my mail in the boxes and closes the lid to the mailbox. At the time I didn't think much of it, I figured my postman didnt notice that he dropped the mail... but with this new information i am concerned.
My house is a split duplex down the middle, we share front and rear porches and the centers on the porches are not separated, she can easily walk onto my side of the porch and rifle through my mail if she wanted.
She had to know that as a victim I would be receiving the paperwork regarding restitution, she also had to know that if I didn't get the paperwork, I would not be able to fill it out and send it in for the review boards decision for her hearing this Wednesday.
The only piece of mail that is missing was the piece that pertained to HER and her diversion program, now I think anyone can put two and two together and get four here. It is now Tuesday and that piece of mail still has not surfaced.
I went and filled out a copy of that paperwork at the diversion office so they have it for her hearing.
The police officer told me to continue to call them when she does these things and they will continue to file reports, and if there are enough of them maybe down the road the district attorney would be willing to press charges, but he felt it would be unlikely. He told me that he doesn't feel coming out to speak to her would be helpful at all, because she obviously doesn't care.
What options do I have to protect myself and my family from this nut? Even after she leaves this property? We do live in a small town, and I'm sure over time we would be bound to run into each other. My main concern is my daughter's safety. These people are definitely violent and unstable.
I do feel that her rantings yesterday were in direct correlation to her hearing coming up on Wednesday... She and her husband both are ticking time bombs. So with the deadline for eviction coming up... we are holding our breath...
I am assuming I should contact my postmaster regarding my mail... which I will do today.
Any suggestions regarding everything else?
Thank you ahead of time.
Danielle
My family and I live in a duplex here in Vermont. The tenants who live next door are being evicted( I have posted here previously on that matter). Their date for temination is this Sunday the 16th. They have refused to vacate and the landlord and I both agree that they will end up being removed forcefully by a sheriff with a court order.
On May 13th the woman physically assaulted me. She was arrested that day and was processed and released. Her arraignment was set for June 19th. Apparently the District Attorney's office offered her the option of applying to enter the Diversion program here in this state. Which is a program put in place to offer an alternative to a criminal record for first time offenders. Now I had no contact with the DA's office and I do not feel that this was an appropriate decision based on what was done, but it is out of my hands.
Now I cannot get any information on this process, no information can be given to me because I am not the offender. The only thing that I was told, was that paperwork would be sent to my home for me to fill out, where I could explain what I felt would be appropriate restitution for damages, etc.
So I have been waiting for this paperwork to come in the mail and as of yesterday had not received anything. Now when I pulled into my driveway yesterday, the woman came out into the driveway screaming obscenities at me in the presence of my two year old daughter.
We rushed inside the house, locked the doors and called the police. My kitchen window was open, and she must have heard me call the cops and request that on officer come to our house becuase she jumped in her car and high tailed it out of there. Minutes later the husband left the house as well.
The original responding officer from May called me back, I explained the situation to him, unfortunately there are NO laws on the books regarding verbal harassment, even when exacerbated by a history of physical violence by the same person.
We discussed this at length, I can't even get a restraining order against her, because in Vermont you have to be related or live in the same living quarters to get one. He did recommend that I contact the diversion program and make them aware of the problem that occurred and have them add that to her case file, becuause that could get her automatically excluded from the program, and she would then get thrown back into the court system, which may give me more options for protection.
I contacted the woman at the diversion program and explained the situation to her. She asked me if I had received the paperwork she had sent me to fill out regarding restitution against the neighbor. (This neighbor caused 650 dollars worth of damage to my car when she assaulted me and my doctors bill from the incident).
I told her I had not received it and asked her when she mailed it. She told me she had mailed it Friday morning of last week. Now the diversion program office is located 3 BLOCKS from my house. In town mail takes one day. She confirmed that she did have the correct mailing address. She told me that my neighbors hearing with the review board is this Wednesday and that it was crucial to get these papers in prior to the hearing.
Now here is the strange thing, my mail on Saturday when I came home was scatterd, it was strewn in the mailbox, and some was on the floor of my porch. Now my postman is great, he neatly puts my mail in the boxes and closes the lid to the mailbox. At the time I didn't think much of it, I figured my postman didnt notice that he dropped the mail... but with this new information i am concerned.
My house is a split duplex down the middle, we share front and rear porches and the centers on the porches are not separated, she can easily walk onto my side of the porch and rifle through my mail if she wanted.
She had to know that as a victim I would be receiving the paperwork regarding restitution, she also had to know that if I didn't get the paperwork, I would not be able to fill it out and send it in for the review boards decision for her hearing this Wednesday.
The only piece of mail that is missing was the piece that pertained to HER and her diversion program, now I think anyone can put two and two together and get four here. It is now Tuesday and that piece of mail still has not surfaced.
I went and filled out a copy of that paperwork at the diversion office so they have it for her hearing.
The police officer told me to continue to call them when she does these things and they will continue to file reports, and if there are enough of them maybe down the road the district attorney would be willing to press charges, but he felt it would be unlikely. He told me that he doesn't feel coming out to speak to her would be helpful at all, because she obviously doesn't care.
What options do I have to protect myself and my family from this nut? Even after she leaves this property? We do live in a small town, and I'm sure over time we would be bound to run into each other. My main concern is my daughter's safety. These people are definitely violent and unstable.
I do feel that her rantings yesterday were in direct correlation to her hearing coming up on Wednesday... She and her husband both are ticking time bombs. So with the deadline for eviction coming up... we are holding our breath...
I am assuming I should contact my postmaster regarding my mail... which I will do today.
Any suggestions regarding everything else?
Thank you ahead of time.
Danielle