Question about how far a Private Investigator can go...

[Laur152]

I live in SC. Yesterday my husband found a thin wallet in the bed of his pickup truck. Inside the wallet was a SC license, SC issued Private Investigator ID and his credit cards. He was obviously in the bed of the truck snooping around and dropped his wallet. Are PI's allowed to be inside of or mess with your property, legally speaking? I thought PI 101 was don't leave behind evidence. I'm not sure who put this PI up to this or why we have been watched, but I don't appreciate feeling like my property has been tampered with. We have also found a few strange occurrences within our apartment over the last couple of months, such as my husband's work laptop being moved from his work bag to another locating in the apartment. We also found a pile of small rocks that were taken from outside our front door and left in a small pile in the middle of our home office. My husband was bad about leaving the back door locked so I wouldn't doubt that someone could have been in our apartment. With the finding of this wallet and PI card, it's starting to make sense, but I don't have concrete proof that he was in my apartment, however, I do know he was in the bed of my husband's pick up truck. Can anyone shine some light on what is acceptable for a PI to do or NOT do. Thanks.

 

[xylene]

What did the police say when you called and reported the discovery of this wallet?

 

[NeilTheCop]

You find a wallet in the bed of a truck and as far as you're concerned the reason is 'obvious'?
(I deleted the rest of my post to save the moderators some time)

 

[Laur152]

What did the police say when you called and reported the discovery of this wallet?

My husband didn't turn it into the police. He dropped it through the mail slot at the office of our apartment complex. He probably should have reported it.

 

[LdiJ]

You find a wallet in the bed of a truck and as far as you're concerned the reason is 'obvious'?
(I deleted the rest of my post to save the moderators some time)

Are you trying to say that there would be more likely reasons why a PI's wallet would be in the back of someone's pickup other than snooping? If so, I think that you are living in fantasyland.

 

[Laur152]

You find a wallet in the bed of a truck and as far as you're concerned the reason is 'obvious'?
(I deleted the rest of my post to save the moderators some time)

There is some backstory that I didn't get into and some legal stuff going on with my husbands ex employer. It doesn't concern my husband per say, but he left the company back in June and has since found out that the new owner is trying to sue the previous owner for breech of contract and my husband did fill out an affidavit backing the previous owner.

 

[xylene]

Not contacting the police was, in legal terms... wicked stupid.

 

[Zigner]

Are you trying to say that there would be more likely reasons why a PI's wallet would be in the back of someone's pickup other than snooping? If so, I think that you are living in fantasyland.

Around here, my first thought would be that someone stole it, went through it, and then tossed it in the back of the truck.
I'd bet that the OP and/or the OP's husband has some reason to be concerned that they are being investigated though...

 

[Laur152]

Not contacting the police was, in legal terms... wicked stupid.

That may be true, and I should probably add that 3 weeks ago my husband had a manic episode to which I had him involuntarily committed. The police have been at my apartment on 3 occasions prior to this mania and honestly, now that things are starting to get back to normal with us, I don't think my husband wanted to call the police and involve them in any more drama so he just took the wallet and left it with apartment management. Lastly, it is not a coincidence that a PI's wallet and ID cards along with his PI license was found in the truck after all that has happened. This wasn't a random act.

 

[NeilTheCop]

Are you trying to say that there would be more likely reasons why a PI's wallet would be in the back of someone's pickup other than snooping? If so, I think that you are living in fantasyland.

No; Roswell, home of the conspiracy theory. That includes objects mysteriously moving around the house and rocks arranging themselves in tidy piles.

 

[xylene]

That may be true, and I should probably add that 3 weeks ago my husband had a manic episode to which I had him involuntarily committed. The police have been at my apartment on 3 occasions prior to this mania and honestly, now that things are starting to get back to normal with us, I don't think my husband wanted to call the police and involve them in any more drama so he just took the wallet and left it with apartment management. Lastly, it is not a coincidence that a PI's wallet and ID cards along with his PI license was found in the truck after all that has happened. This wasn't a random act.

Ummm, did YOU see this wallet and exam it's contents?

 

[Just Blue]

Ummm, did YOU see this wallet and exam it's contents?

good point!

 

[quincy]

I live in SC.

... Can anyone shine some light on what is acceptable for a PI to do or NOT do. Thanks.

Here is a link to the laws on South Carolina Private Security and Investigative Agencies:
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t40c018.php

Private investigators cannot violate laws. It would be a violation for a private investigator to enter even an unlocked residence without authorization. A private investigator violates the law with his unauthorized entry even if he does not snoop once inside or leave a pile of rocks behind.

A private investigator can observe from public property the actions of anyone who is also on public property.

You and/or your husband should have turned the wallet over to the police. Because you have no evidence to show the private investigator was in the truck, despite where you found the wallet, the police would have most likely returned the wallet to the private investigator and left it at that.

You and/or your husband should have reported to the police the possible break-in. Again, it appears you have no evidence connecting the pile of rocks or moving of computer to a private investigator.

If your husband is being investigated, he might want to consult with a local attorney.