I know who broke into my house. Why are they getting away with it?

[Traydmrk]

My next door neighbor's friend broke into my house and stole all of my jewelry and two firearms and also left a lot of damage. I didn't even know his name but I knew it was him from the moment it happened. I later found out that he was on parole for two home invasions, five b&e's and one larceny conviction. My neighbor was also on parole. The motion detection on my video surveillance wasn't working and he wore the same mask that myself and another neighbor saw him with not long before this happened. The cops brought out a dog and the K9 went right to my neighbor's front door. I have a picture of him taken a couple weeks after the home invasion wearing the same coat and rolled up pants that he wore while breaking into my house. He has a huge Adam's apple and a piercing which are both visible in the video. The detective told me all we can do is wait around and hopefully some day someone will get pulled over with one of my guns. Are they serious?!? I am 100% sure it was this guy and he's going to get away with it and still show up next door to hang out with my neighbor? Is there ANYTHING I can do??? This is outrageous! Pontiac, Michigan (Oakland County)

 

[Just Blue]

Michigan

Going to need more information.

 

[Traydmrk]

Sorry, first time user. Question has been edited.

 

[Taxing Matters]

I am 100% sure it was this guy and he's going to get away with it and still show up next door to hang out with my neighbor? Is there ANYTHING I can do??? This is outrageous! Pontiac, Michigan (Oakland County)

You are 100% sure that the guy stole your stuff. But a prosecutor has to convince 12 jurors who know nothing about the guy that he is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and the prosecutor may not believe that he or she can do that with the evidence available. You apparently don't have video of the break-in as I understand your facts. Your motion sensor wasn't working so the camera was never activated, right? So how do you know what the thief was wearing when he/she broke into your house? Seeing the guy with a mask and coat before or after the theft doesn't help you if you don't have the video of the theft. Even if you did, if the face is not readily recognizable on the video, then the evidence that you saw him on some other occasion wearing the same or similar stuff is not all that strong. The police evidently didn't get a search warrant to see if the guy had the stuff in his house, or if they did apparently they came up empty. So you don't have evidence tying the guy to having your stuff. In short, the prosecutor has to look at the admissible evidence available and determine if that would be enough to convince 12 strangers that the guy is guilty. You have a bias because you know the guy and his history. But the jury won't know that history. All they'll get is the evidence that is available about this particular break in. In any event, it is completely up to the prosecutor whether to file charges. If you can't convince the prosecutor to go for it then there is nothing more you can do to get the criminally charged.

If you have home insurance, make a claim and get compensation for the stuff the guy stole. If you don't, you are free to try suing the alleged thief for the return of your stuff or the value of it. The standard for the burden of proof in a lawsuit is significantly lower than in a criminal prosecution.

 

[bcr229]

Call all of the pawn shops and gun dealers in your area with the make/model/serial # of the guns and let them know that the guns are stolen so they can be on the lookout. You can find the list at https://www.atf.gov/firearms/listing-federal-firearms-licensees

 

[LdiJ]

Call all of the pawn shops and gun dealers in your area with the make/model/serial # of the guns and let them know that the guns are stolen so they can be on the lookout. You can find the list at https://www.atf.gov/firearms/listing-federal-firearms-licensees

You might do the same for the jewelry as well.

 

[quincy]

My next door neighbor's friend broke into my house and stole all of my jewelry and two firearms and also left a lot of damage. I didn't even know his name but I knew it was him from the moment it happened. I later found out that he was on parole for two home invasions, five b&e's and one larceny conviction. My neighbor was also on parole. The motion detection on my video surveillance wasn't working and he wore the same mask that myself and another neighbor saw him with not long before this happened. The cops brought out a dog and the K9 went right to my neighbor's front door. I have a picture of him taken a couple weeks after the home invasion wearing the same coat and rolled up pants that he wore while breaking into my house. He has a huge Adam's apple and a piercing which are both visible in the video. The detective told me all we can do is wait around and hopefully some day someone will get pulled over with one of my guns. Are they serious?!? I am 100% sure it was this guy and he's going to get away with it and still show up next door to hang out with my neighbor? Is there ANYTHING I can do??? This is outrageous! Pontiac, Michigan (Oakland County)

The investigation is ongoing. The K-9 unit did not lead to anyone's door. The dogs lost the scent.

 

[Just Blue]

Sorry, first time user. Question has been edited.

When did the break-in happen?