I've got a bit of problem on my hands.

I have a friend who I've known for a few years and lately we've been planning to collaborate on a creative project together. I was over his place recently with my laptop working on it with him.

I left my glasses behind, so the next night I swung by to pick them up, we chat for a few minutes, nothing out of the ordinary. So far so good.

Then, I had to travel out of state to attend a funeral. Full week elapses during which I call him, and leave a voicemail to follow up on the project. No response.

I get back in town the next day and my landlord tells me he's been calling the house (not my cell #which he has) asking if I have a piece of computer equipment that belongs to him (wtf). I text him, no response. I call him and leave a voicemail- no response. Finally that night he calls back, asking if I took it. I told him I didn't steal anything, but sometimes I get absent minded (which I do) and perhaps I mixed it in with my own equipment when I was packing up. I told him I'd look around and get back to him.

I look around, nothing. I reach out and the pattern repeats; I call to tell him I don't have it, no response. I text him. No response.

Later that night, I get a call from the police calling on his behalf. My "friend" claims he has some hidden camera setup in his room and was filming me (is that even legal?) and it shows me taking the item. No charges are being pressed yet, but he wants it returned.

I am positive I don't have it. I spoke to my landlord's son (a lawyer) who's known this guy a lot longer than me. He said he's not surprised, this guy is kind of unstable and has a history of paranoid behavior, (he claims other people have stolen things from him and stalked him) and that this video probably doesn't exist.

I have the cop's contact info, he is going to reach out to me again, eventually, and I intend to reach out to him first, and show that I am actively trying to fix this. I don't know what else to do.

This guy has always been a little odd and eccentric, which I was tolerant of, but this is fucking nuts and I intend to cut all ties with him once this is resolved.

If this is something you all recommend taking to PM I'm happy to do that, I just want this behind me; I'm about to move out of state and planning an Int'l trip in the winter, I don't have time for this nonsense.

Thank you all in advance

Why not ask the landlord's son to recommend a lawyer to talk to the police on your behalf? Or ask him to do it since he knows the weirdo in question. Offer him a couple bucks or something.

Bottom line is if he really does have video of you then it should prove you innocent.

This guy sounds like a cowardly nut or someone who is trying to pull a fast one and definitely not someone I'd call a friend.

I don't see why you're worried about this. If you didn't steal anything, the video doesn't "probably" not exist, it doesn't exist period and that's the end of the story. LE isn't going to bother pursuing a case of petty theft against you on zero evidence. If the police ask to speak with you go ahead and do so, otherwise just don't even bother thinking about it. The thing will resolve itself once the police realize the dude is stringing them along and the video he claims to have doesn't exist.

*Disclaimer: I have no legal background.

Wait a second...
Is that something the police do when someone is accused of theft?
Call the suspect and ask him politely to return it?

Are you absolutely sure you spoke to a cop?

The police gave you a call?

When people commit crimes, the police find them and place them under arrest.

He's a nutjob. Look him in the eye and in a calm voice tell him you didn't take the laptop, you don't appreciate him making an outrageous accusation without proof. Suggest he look around his place more carefully.

Sounds like he's crazy or filing an insurance claim fraudulently. Just stonewall, they can't prove shit and want you to confess to make their job easier. Deny everything, admit nothing. "Look, I didn't take it and have nothing further to say"

If the police want to speak with you, they will do it in person. As others had indicated, I would be very suspicious of any phone calls from the "police".

As with so many other things in life, your best course of action is probably to do nothing. All too often, people feel the need to always be proactive, when that can often only make things worse and many problems will simply resolve themselves. Contacting the officer is a two-edged sword. On one hand it shows you are being responsible, but on another hand, it may show a guilty conscience. Also, good luck getting hold of a police officer or getting him to promptly return your calls. The officer's comment about the video may just have been a tactic/shit test to get you to react a certain way or admit that you took it. Without your "friend" having seen you taking anything, without an admission from you, and without a video showing that you took something, it is unlikely that you could be convicted of theft. Under those circumstances, it is even unlikely that you would even be charged. The only way charges would probably be filed at this point is if there is a video showing that you took something.

Does this guy have any prior record? If so, find out what it is and use that to your advantage if anything more happens with this.

Get a lawyer in your jurisdiction.

Go to their office for a free consultation.

WIA

Is the cop's contact info the local police station to the crime and you've got a badge number, an extension at that "real" police station number?

If it's just some random cell phone, that's not a real cop bud. Real cop would give you his desk/station number as well as a cell phone.

This is like the IRS calling you and they give you some random number to call them back at that's not one of the known/documented IRS office numbers.

Scam/liar calling you.

One of the oldest tricks in the book is to claim you have evidence when you're accusing someone. Since you really didn't take it, maintain your frame and, if needed, counter it with more evidence -- like cell records showing you were out of town.

As someone who's been accused of stealing, if you didn't do it then just keep your cool. Don't say anything incriminating. I made the mistake by asking if there was any evidence against me, but only my dad noticed.

Call his bluff and tell him to procure the video. If he has a video and you didn't steal it it will prove your innocence. If he doesn't have a video he has no case.

Thanks everyone for the replies.

Quote: (10-08-2014 12:40 PM)AneroidOcean Wrote:  

Is the cop's contact info the local police station to the crime and you've got a badge number, an extension at that "real" police station number?

If it's just some random cell phone, that's not a real cop bud. Real cop would give you his desk/station number as well as a cell phone.

This is like the IRS calling you and they give you some random number to call them back at that's not one of the known/documented IRS office numbers.

Scam/liar calling you.

Since a few people brought this up- I got the cop's name and "ID number". I called the number he provided (prior to posting this thread). It's a real station number. I asked for him by name, but the cop was not on duty at the time. He kept saying things like "this is not an interrogation, I'm not accusing you," and that the guy doesn't want to press charges at this time, but wants it returned within a week.

I am torn between calling the cop and just spelling it out for him and getting a consultation. Leaning toward lawyer route.

It's just so completely out of left field. The dude has a lot of health issues and doesn't get out much, I made an effort to reach out to him an include him in things and with no warning this BS erupts.

No worries, unless cops are at your door you're fine. Cops will call if they don't have enough evidence to do anything, but in that case you're fine. I've been in this situation

I had a girl accuse me of stealing a laptop at a party, while I obviously didn't do it, I didn't want police looking into my phone or belongings to see if I had it in my possession. Police called weekly for a month and I ignored the calls. Finally one day I was day drinking when they called and I accidentally picked up and had to talk to the officer. Told him I never saw a laptop nor did I know of anyone who could've potentially done it.

This guy's put himself in a worse position by claiming to have a video, because if he can't produce the video he loses his credibility with the police. Don't worry and don't waste money on a lawyer unless charges come

The police are probably just doing minor dispute resolution, they're unlikely to arrest if they started out by just calling you and asking you to return the item. That said, I wouldn't provide more information than necessary.

I hope the best for you on this one man, but take this lesson away from this mess: be careful about ANYBODY you let into your life.

I mean you knew this guy has issues, issues I'm assuming you don't have, how you ended up being in a place where you would actually consider him a friend is beyond me.

Game is needed all the time, with all types of people, not just with women that we're trying to conquer.

This thread should be a subtile reminder to RVF members that you need to screen everyone in your life, not just women.

Quote: (10-08-2014 12:13 PM)Faust Wrote:  

Wait a second...
Is that something the police do when someone is accused of theft?
Call the suspect and ask him politely to return it?

Are you absolutely sure you spoke to a cop?

Quote: (10-08-2014 12:17 PM)jariel Wrote:  

The police gave you a call?

When people commit crimes, the police find them and place them under arrest.

Quote: (10-08-2014 12:34 PM)Alpha_Romeo Wrote:  

If the police want to speak with you, they will do it in person. As others had indicated, I would be very suspicious of any phone calls from the "police".

Quote: (10-08-2014 12:40 PM)AneroidOcean Wrote:  

Is the cop's contact info the local police station to the crime and you've got a badge number, an extension at that "real" police station number?

If it's just some random cell phone, that's not a real cop bud. Real cop would give you his desk/station number as well as a cell phone.

This is like the IRS calling you and they give you some random number to call them back at that's not one of the known/documented IRS office numbers.

Scam/liar calling you.

This is not correct.

Police can and will call you in a situation like this, where someone is being accused of a fairly minor crime with no real evidence. They'll call the accused since that's all they can really do and hope that maybe you piss yourself and confess in the process. And it could be from their cell phone.

Now they're probably "seeing what they can do", i.e., forgetting about the whole thing.

I'd say the worst thing that could happen is you get taken to small claims court, which would likely go nowhere.

Quote: (10-08-2014 03:09 PM)Enigma Wrote:  

Quote: (10-08-2014 12:13 PM)Faust Wrote:  

Wait a second...
Is that something the police do when someone is accused of theft?
Call the suspect and ask him politely to return it?

Are you absolutely sure you spoke to a cop?

Quote: (10-08-2014 12:17 PM)jariel Wrote:  

The police gave you a call?

When people commit crimes, the police find them and place them under arrest.

Quote: (10-08-2014 12:34 PM)Alpha_Romeo Wrote:  

If the police want to speak with you, they will do it in person. As others had indicated, I would be very suspicious of any phone calls from the "police".

Quote: (10-08-2014 12:40 PM)AneroidOcean Wrote:  

Is the cop's contact info the local police station to the crime and you've got a badge number, an extension at that "real" police station number?

If it's just some random cell phone, that's not a real cop bud. Real cop would give you his desk/station number as well as a cell phone.

This is like the IRS calling you and they give you some random number to call them back at that's not one of the known/documented IRS office numbers.

Scam/liar calling you.

This is not correct.

Police can and will call you in a situation like this, where someone is being accused of a fairly minor crime with no real evidence. They'll call the accused since that's all they can really do and hope that maybe you piss yourself and confess in the process. And it could be from their cell phone.

Now they're probably "seeing what they can do", i.e., forgetting about the whole thing.

I'd say the worst thing that could happen is you get taken to small claims court, which would likely go nowhere.

This is very correct. The police will even communicate with people via text message. Some guy came into my office not too long ago who was basically being bothered by some other guy regarding a business issue. A police officer sent the guy who was bothering him a text message specifically instructing him to refrain from contacting the guy who consulted me. The guy who received the text didn't believe it was really a police officer who sent the text. He thought it was just somebody screwing around so he responded by saying, "Come mierda." Needless to say, charges were filed.

Consider it a gift all this BS happened before you started a project with a scumbag like him.

You've got two options:

- Let it pass without doing nothing. If you didn't take anything there's no reason to be worried,

- Counter-atack. This is the best thing you can do. Find a lawyer and press charges against him. Some people only learn when they are in other people shoes.

Quote: (10-08-2014 02:39 PM)jariel Wrote:  

I hope the best for you on this one man, but take this lesson away from this mess: be careful about ANYBODY you let into your life.

I mean you knew this guy has issues, issues I'm assuming you don't have, how you ended up being in a place where you would actually consider him a friend is beyond me.

Game is needed all the time, with all types of people, not just with women that we're trying to conquer.

Agreed, all good points. We'd known each other (shared social circle) for a few years and while I knew he was a little odd, I'd never seen anything like this, nothing approaching it was ever directed at me.

I guess I kind of felt bad for him, like I said, dude had a lot of health issues, doesn't get out much. We had shared interests and I felt like I could help introduce him to some more healthy positive stuff, even showed him Roosh's site once. That's what I get for being nice, apparently. Lesson learned.

Update:

Called the cop back, got his voicemail as expected. Said only my name, time I called and my number (to let them know I am being cooperative and not dodging them).

Scheduled a consultation for tomorrow. If the cop calls me back I will not respond until after I speak to the lawyer.

Quote: (10-08-2014 06:00 PM)NovaVirtu Wrote:  

Update:

Called the cop back, got his voicemail as expected. Said only my name, time I called and my number (to let them know I am being cooperative and not dodging them).

Scheduled a consultation for tomorrow. If the cop calls me back I will not respond until after I speak to the lawyer.

Don't hold your breath waiting for him to call you back.