Friday, August 23, 2013

Arresting developments

I got up this morning at about 8:30, let work know I was too sick to go in, and then took a two-hour nap from the exertion.

At 10:30, my cousin, who is staying with me, had just woken up.

"Good morning," she said.

"Good morning," I said.

"Do you know you slept through the police coming and searching the house?" 

Which— No. No, I did not know that. 

I have two cousins staying with me this week, but we've all been pretty sick. For me, yesterday was the worst of it. It's mostly a bad cold, but I also had a fever and just felt entirely miserable, like, I'm not sure when I've been that sick.

I slept most of the day, and then last night, fell asleep with the door to my bedroom open and the lights on.

Apparently, the police came at around 2:30 in the morning, rang the bell a bunch of times, and then yelled "police" and banged on the door until my cousin woke up and answered the door. 

Apparently someone crashed his motorcycle near the house, and there were outstanding warrants on him, so he fled on foot. 

Apparently, they were making sure he wasn't hiding in the house. 

Apparently, he was not. 

So, things this brings up for me:
  • My cousin said she was a houseguest. Doesn't it seem like the police would have wanted to wake the actual resident/homeowner? 
  • The reason my falling asleep with the door open and the lights on is relevant is that when the cops looked in my room, in which I was sleeping, they didn't need to shine flashlights. Doesn't it seem like the police would have wanted to wake me then?
  • Boy, I sure am glad I was sleeping with clothes on, fever and all.
  • I don't, as far as I know, have anything illegal in my house (including a fugitive). But let's say I had, I dunno, a body or a meth lab in the basement. Once the police have entered the home with no warrant and permission not from the homeowner but from someone else, can they do anything with that?
  • Good thing I don't have a body or a meth lab in the basement.
  • When my cousin woke up and finally went to the door, a police officer had actually opened the door and stuck his face in the doorway. Can he do that?
In case some of you are worried that the fugitive may still be in the attic (where the police did not look, by the way, just because my houseguest didn't know I had an attic), he is not, according to my local paper. He eventually called the police, in fact, presumably because of his injuries, and said he'd been assaulted. There is no evidence to support that. He's in the local hospital now.

2 comments:

Joe said...

Weird, wild stuff, CMC. I can't be the only one who is damn impressed that you slept through the whole thing.
Can you teach me how to do that? Especially when little ones get bored in the wee hours and want to play?

Jennifer O'B said...

To address the police questions - in Virginia at least - yes, they can enter if they announce themselves and believe there is a good reason (you all weren't answering the door because the guy had killed you). Yes, if anyone invites them in and they see bad stuff they can take action (including if they send an informant in), and yes, if you open the door they can prevent you from closing it. If the officer can see bad stuff from that spot they can take action.
If your cousin said they couldn't enter, the officer could stand there with his foot in the door until a warrant was obtained.
I'm glad you didn't have an ax murder in your attic.