juvenile problem in Louisville, KY

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Kentucky
Our neighborhood residents are being harassed and their properties vandalized by a handful of the neighbor's kids whose ages range from 14 - 17. My home has also been vandalized. We recently had a block watch meeting at our house to address these issues, and now are experiencing harassment from these teen boys. They stand in our driveways when we are trying to pull into it, they stand in the middle of the road and won't move out of the way so that we can pass and they not only yell threatening things to us in our neighborhood, they also have followed us in other venues and done so there also. They have urinated on our house, left a dead animal in our trashcan and thrown things at our front door. Their parents have done nothing to help and said that if we defend ourselves or say anything to their kids, they will call the police, file charges against us and sue us for everything we own. We have hidden what we can from our children so as not to frighten them, but I am afraid for mine and their safety. The 17 year old is quite bigger than me. My husband's hands are tied because of the parental threats and him being a minor. What can we do to protect ourselves since there is no such thing as restraining orders in Kentucky?What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

How about dialing 911?

This is a police matter. Let the parents of the vandals call the police....

Oh, and start talking to attorneys so that you can file a civil suit on anything your lawyer can think of.

The parents are threatening you... and it is no difference from what their kids are doing. At least you know where these upstanding youth got their values.

Yeah, I have to wonder why it hasn't occurred to you to call the cops.

From the Jefferson County (Ky) Commonwealth Attorney's office:

"While there is no such thing as a "restraining order" in Kentucky, there are several ways in which you can proceed through court and request that an individual have no contact with you or your family. Unless the individual is involved with a case in this office that also involves you, you should contact the Jefferson County Attorney's Office for information on filing a Domestic Violence Order, an Emergency Protective Order, or any misdemeanor charges that reflect the type of harassment you have been receiving. If you are a prosecuting witness on a case in this office and a defendant is directly or indirectly contacting you, call the assigned prosecutor immediately. If there is a "no contact" order in place, that defendant may be in violation of their terms of release."

Link: Commonwealth Attorney's Office - Jefferson County Kentucky

Good luck!

~Christina

I do appreciate all of the advice. We have called the cops and reported things that have happened to us personally as have some of the other residents. The police department knows these kids very well and are very tired of these youth also. For the actual harrassment, we have personal proof. However, the criminal acts (such as vandalism) we only have circumstantial evidence. I would love to install cameras to catch them in the act, however, it will take some money so we are saving that as a last resort. I was just hoping that there was some sort of protective order we could file in the meantime so that if they are ever caught in the act again, they will also be violating a protective order.

Just keep calling the police. That is why they are there.

Also, ask them to patrol your neighborhood for the next couple of weeks.

Call the Jefferson County Attorney's office, and ask them about your situation and what you can do. Keep documenting everything!