to catch a thief in North Carolina

[Debi GH]

What is the name of your state?North Carolina. Although I no longer have anything to do with my sister because of her cocaine and alcohol addiction, she has been repeatedly breaking into one of my homes and robbing me. She cleverly reaarranges my china closet and jewelry box, etc so that at first glance, nothing appears to be missing. I spoke with local authorities and they said that they could only "talk" to her. I have recently installed a motion detector camera and am simply waiting for her to do it again however, if she does NOT rob me again, are her finger prints alone enough to convict? I am hesitant to cause a ruckus within the family without concrete proof, and I would like to simply have several items tested for her fingerprints so that I know it's her for sure but I don't want to allert her that I am now aware of her thievery. My question is this. Should I report the robberies and have finger prints taken or simply sit tight and give her enough rope to hang herself by catching her on camera? If I wait, and she doesn't rob me again, does the time factor affect my ability to seek justice? What should I do?

 

[HomeGuru]

What is the name of your state?North Carolina. Although I no longer have anything to do with my sister because of her cocaine and alcohol addiction, she has been repeatedly breaking into one of my homes and robbing me. She cleverly reaarranges my china closet and jewelry box, etc so that at first glance, nothing appears to be missing. I spoke with local authorities and they said that they could only "talk" to her. I have recently installed a motion detector camera and am simply waiting for her to do it again however, if she does NOT rob me again, are her finger prints alone enough to convict? I am hesitant to cause a ruckus within the family without concrete proof, and I would like to simply have several items tested for her fingerprints so that I know it's her for sure but I don't want to allert her that I am now aware of her thievery. My question is this. Should I report the robberies and have finger prints taken or simply sit tight and give her enough rope to hang herself by catching her on camera? If I wait, and she doesn't rob me again, does the time factor affect my ability to seek justice? What should I do?

**A: of course you should report it, what the heck are you waiting for; our arpproval from strangers you have never met?

 

[MJ42099]

I am not a lawyer nor law enforcement agent, but I would consider this:

1. Do you know what items have been taken? Do you have any record like serial #'s, pictures, video, written lists or insurance on any of these missing items?
2. How valuable are the items that are missing? (monetary or sentimental) Is it worth the HELL you will go through with your sister and family and personally while trying to pursue a court battle? Is it worth the $$$ you will spend to obtain a lawyer and pay court costs should a conviction not happen? (Just for your knowledge - In the state of NC any theft or fraud less than $500.00 is considered a misdemeanor, not a felony.)
3. If you answered "YES" to the above questions - do you have fingerprint evidence on other items similar to and in the same vicinity as the items stolen - ie. - china pieces inside your cabinet or what have you, as opposed to just having prints on the cabinet itself? Also - are ther/will there be any additional prints on these items, beside your own prints (or your husbands and children if you have)? If so you may have a very hard time of proving that SHE took them.
4. If you have spent the $$ on a motion sensing camera use it!

I would say wait and see if you can catch her on tape - the evidence you have at this point probably wouldn't be enough to convict or even arrest her.

Maybe an idea (if you haven't already tried this) would be to talk to your sister about her problems and offer to help her get into Rehab and get off the stuff. If she is angry or violent or refuses to get help and has a serious problem, then I would look into reporting her for posession, etc. - something that would literally force her to get into rehab. (In NC if you get charged with drug posession you are automatically sentenced to participate in drug rehab.)

Hope this has been helpful - it;s a ****ty thing you are dealing with. Good luck!