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Gun thieves, a re-post, an old memory, perhaps a warning

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  • leVieux

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    Gun Thieves, a Story

    At Holiday time 1975 in Corpus Christi, I had to go back to my office to check-up on two children who were scheduled for tonsillectomies on the "Monday after." As there were no other office appointments, I left shortly, for home. Decided to stop by the “Texas Gun Shop" to pick up my Colt Gold Cup which had some new target sights being installed and sighted.

    For some reason I could never fathom, I picked up a full magazine from the center console, loaded the .45, chambered a round, ejected the mag and inserted another full mag. Now, this was way back when, long before most of us felt the need to "carry."

    As I approached the entry, I saw that my door was open. Not realizing what was taking place, my first thought was that the A/C guys had come by to service my unit and change the filter, as they regularly did.

    Going through the doorway, two things hit me at once; the door frame was cracked and my gun cabinet was open.

    Suddenly realizing that I had walked into my home being robbed, I raised the .45, went over to my sofa, pulled my Python out of the cushions, and searched the home. It was empty.

    As I walked around, I noticed that a $20 bill my GF had left for our maid was sitting on the counter and a brand new color TV was sitting there, tags still attached. A pair of Zeiss binoculars were on the coffee table.

    I had one of those phones with the long, long cord. I went into the kitchen, got a glass of water, sat on the inside kitchen steps, put both handguns on the step next to me, and called the police.

    Up until that point, I had been cool as the proverbial cucumber.

    But, sitting on those steps, I soon realized how close I had come to being killed and started to shake. I was certain they were armed, as they had 14 of my guns and Lord knows how much ammo.

    As I was sort of hidden behind the kitchen dinette, I was not visible from the entry door. Hearing footsteps, I figured it was the police.

    Lo, it was the burglars, back for a second haul. I picked up both pistols and waited until they were in the middle of the room and said loudly: "Hands up, don't move, I am about to kill all of you!"

    This scared them more than me. I added, "I have both triggers, and I'm about to blow your head off!" Now, I was still shaking, but figured I wouldn't miss at about five or six feet, point blank.

    As we waited like that, I had them take one hand, open their wallets, and put their ID's on the coffee table.

    When the police did arrive, I had them sitting on the floor, hands behind heads.

    The young officer walked into the room, looked around and figured it out immediately. He told me to put my pistols down, checked the ID's and told the burglars to get out of there. This confused me and I protested. He said, "These are known police characters and I can pick them up anytime I want."

    About ten days later, I got a call from a Sargent Garza of the burglary division, asking him to meet me at the property room, to identify my guns.

    My concern was my J.P.Sauer grouse gun. It was there and undamaged. All but one of my 14 missing guns were there. The still-missing was a Beretta AL-2 12 Ga.

    He showed me a Beretta SO-3 with gold inlays and asked if I was sure that it weren't mine. As the SO-3 was worth about $25K even way back then, I was tempted, but said no.

    I later learned that my AL-2 had been cut down, "sawed-off" for use as a criminal weapon and was held for evidence. I never saw it again.

    Garza told me that they had solved over 20 residential gun burglaries from my "bust."

    They were dopers, who had a white van truck and white coveralls. They would carry a carpet roll to a home's door, pull a big crowbar out, break the door open, unroll the carpet and load the stolen guns into it, roll it back up and put it back in the van. Neighbors seeing them would think that they were carpet service personnel.

    Lesson learned, I bought a gun safe !

    Although this is only an old story now, I was quite shaken-up for weeks afterward.

    leVieux
     

    ZX9RCAM

    Over the Rainbow bridge...
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    The young officer walked into the room, looked around and figured it out immediately. He told me to put my pistols down, checked the ID's and told the burglars to get out of there. This confused me and I protested. He said, "These are known police characters and I can pick them up anytime I want."



    leVieux

    What a bizarre twist...
     

    Mohawk600

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    Corpus Christi sux.......it is a heroin distribution hub with Robstown and there are about 5 state jails within 150 mi. Every goddamn gangbanger released from state prison in South Texas goes to CC. Leopard Av. and Staples near downtown for "crack ho's" if that's your flavor. All I have to say is I lived there for 5 years and hated every minute of it.

    If someone offered to give me a house on Ocean Dr. with the provision that I actually live there and not sell it................I would tell 'em to keep it.

    There is a real reason why CC is the armpit of Texas.
     

    leVieux

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    Corpus Christi sux.......it is a heroin distribution hub with Robstown and there are about 5 state jails within 150 mi. Every ******* gangbanger released from state prison in South Texas goes to CC. Leopard Av. and Staples near downtown for "crack ho's" if that's your flavor. All I have to say is I lived there for 5 years and hated every minute of it.

    If someone offered to give me a house on Ocean Dr. with the provision that I actually live there and not sell it................I would tell 'em to keep it.

    There is a real reason why CC is the armpit of Texas.

    So, you aren't familiar with Laredo, Jasper, or Vidor ?

    leVieux
     

    leVieux

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    Laredo yes......sux. Jasper and Vidor no. But any town where a person can be dragged behind a truck on a chain and be decapitated by a culvert pipe must suck too.

    Having spent decades in & near Corpus Christi I think it is the nicest Texas City to live in; compared to Midland, Austin, Brownsville, Galveston & Houston; places I have also lived and worked.

    Yes, there are problems. As a young Physician, I actually ran the Federal Methadone Clinic there very briefly. The drug problem there, as elsewhere, has a number of causes and related issues. The main one, as elsewhere, is the lax or absent prosecution of RECREATIONAL drug users, who fund the entire mess.

    Of course, plain old geography sets-up the Coastal Bend as a drug conduit.

    But, the weather, hunting, fishing, openness, ease of getting-around, and friendliness of natives are unequaled. The beauty of the Bay and Beaches is not found elsewhere.

    There is an old saying in French: "Chacque un a son gout"; You are free to have your preferences, but you don't speak for me !

    leVieux
     
    Last edited:

    leVieux

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    leVieux,

    Did you answer my question and I missed it or do you prefer not to answer?

    1) Please read intervening posts. Others made same comment, so I answered once.

    2) The other thieves had already removed all of the loot / evidence, so it was my word against theirs.

    3) He didn't tell me his actual reason.

    4) I wouldn't refuse to answer a sincere question, but I figured you could read my reply to a similar question above.

    leVieux
     

    Texasjack

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    Great story!

    I have to say that Corpus is one of the nicest locations I've ever been to. It's a beautiful area and has a lot to see and do. However, I've had to go there on business a number of times and I have to say that the crime level is incredible. People say, "Oh, well, HOUSTON....", but I spent years working on the Ship Channel and it was positively better than Corpus with respect to criminals. And those crack/meth ho's mentioned earlier? OMFG! Some of the nastiest looking things I've ever seen! Makes me gag to think about them, and in CC they roam the streets in broad daylight. My wife has family there that we don't associate with. I'm pretty sure some of them are intimately familiar with the justice system - like from inside the cells.

    At the same time I had to support a plant in CC, I also supported a plant in Marrero, LA. OK, it was worse. There was a pipeline valve outside the gate that had to be opened or closed from time to time and they had to call the cops out to stand by while someone turned the valve. One day a body washed up to the docks. It had been in the water so long that it was oozing out of the basket the Coast Guard used to get it out of the water. Grown men threw up. Turned out to be a cop that had a wife and a girlfriend and not enough money to cover both. He jumped off a bridge, leaving a note in his car. But since it was an unmarked police car, the cops left it alone for weeks until the body was identified and they decided to find the car.
     

    leVieux

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    Great story!

    I have to say that Corpus is one of the nicest locations I've ever been to. It's a beautiful area and has a lot to see and do. However, I've had to go there on business a number of times and I have to say that the crime level is incredible. People say, "Oh, well, HOUSTON....", but I spent years working on the Ship Channel and it was positively better than Corpus with respect to criminals. And those crack/meth ho's mentioned earlier? OMFG! Some of the nastiest looking things I've ever seen! Makes me gag to think about them, and in CC they roam the streets in broad daylight. My wife has family there that we don't associate with. I'm pretty sure some of them are intimately familiar with the justice system - like from inside the cells.

    At the same time I had to support a plant in CC, I also supported a plant in Marrero, LA. OK, it was worse. There was a pipeline valve outside the gate that had to be opened or closed from time to time and they had to call the cops out to stand by while someone turned the valve. One day a body washed up to the docks. It had been in the water so long that it was oozing out of the basket the Coast Guard used to get it out of the water. Grown men threw up. Turned out to be a cop that had a wife and a girlfriend and not enough money to cover both. He jumped off a bridge, leaving a note in his car. But since it was an unmarked police car, the cops left it alone for weeks until the body was identified and they decided to find the car.

    A well-know historical FACT, world-wide, is that seaport cities have lots of petty crime.

    Corpus certainly is no exception to that. Plus, it is a geographic "natural crossroads" for illegal drug shipments.

    Greater New Orleans is extremely violent. For instance, I had to carry a .45 to take my garbage out, INSIDE A GATED, GUARDED COMPLEX while spending the past 11 years there. New Orleans suppresses crime reporting in order to give prospective tourists a false sense of safety. We had home invasions & rapes in our complex, and had kidnappings, rapes, & armed robberies inside the Medical Center there, on our University Medical campuses.

    I have never been a cop, but several friends and family were/are.

    Two big keys to crime safety are neighbors/neighborhoods and teaching our women to be observant of their surroundings, especially in homes & other familiar places. For instance, it tried and tried to get my granddaughter/Med Student to pause a moment on entering a parking garage to check for feet under vehicles, moving shadows, things out of place, etc; only to be ridiculed.

    Corpus has great unofficial community guarding by neighbors. Also, there was de-facto handgun carry there for decades before it became officially "legal". Shades of the "Wild West", but it definitely deterred street crime.

    I have often said that, if very wealthy, I'd spend my winters in Corpus Christi and my summers in Western Montana.

    leVieux
     

    Mowingmaniac 24/7

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    leVieux,

    I missed your post somehow.

    There was a blank post with your name - I have no idea how that happened thus my perplexity..........

    Anyway, thanks for the answer.
     
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