Posted on 08/25/2006 7:41:16 AM PDT by Teflonic
WORTHINGTON, Ohio Aug 24, 2006 (AP)— Someone shot at a carload of teenage girls, critically wounding one of them, after some of them had stepped near a house that had been rumored by fellow students to be haunted, police said.
A man who lives in the house, Allen S. Davis, was arrested Wednesday in the shooting of 17-year-old Rachel Barezinsky the night before. He told reporters Wednesday from jail that he was trying to drive off trespassers and didn't intend to hurt the girls.
Barezinsky remained in critical condition Thursday at Ohio State University Medical Center, a nursing supervisor said.
Barezinsky's aunt, Tina Wedebrook, told reporters Wednesday that the girl had surgery to relieve swelling in her brain and had been able to squeeze visitors' hands, but was having trouble moving the left side of her body.
Davis' home, across from a cemetery and overgrown with trees and weeds, had a reputation among local teens for being haunted. Students at Thomas Worthington High School in suburban Columbus had been daring each other to knock on the door or go in the yard, police Lt. Doug Francis said.
Barezinsky and two of her friends got out of their car parked near the home about 10 p.m. and took a few steps onto the property, Francis said. They jumped back in when a girl still in the car sounded the horn, and they heard what they thought were firecrackers as they drove away, he said.
The girls drove around the block, and Barezinsky was struck in the head and shoulder while sitting in the car as they passed the house again, Francis said. The other girls were not injured.
Hundreds gathered on the high school football field Wednesday night for a vigil for Barezinsky, a cheerleader at the school of about 1,700 students.
Police said Davis a self-employed nonfiction writer who lives with his 64-year-old mother, he told investigators he was aiming for the car's tires.
Davis, 40, appeared before a judge Thursday on five counts of felonious assault. His bond was set at $500,000.
Davis told reporters Wednesday he had prepared the rifle after numerous instances of trespassing.
Hmmmm, that's a problem. They aren't even on your property.
You've tried the police. Although for non-emergencies, you aren't supposed to call 911, you are supposed to call the police directly. But I assume you do that, so forgive me for pointing that out.
Suggestions....
Anybody else got ideas?
Here's an idea...
Call the creepy cop and his mother up and tell them that you are seeing ghosts in the cemetary every couple of weeks or so.
You get free police presence as long as he buys it. You do have to put up with some flashing lights, but it ought to be quieter.
Boo! ;) Just kidding. I'm just popping in to say that you, Mrs. P, are obviously a lovely woman with an irritating problem but you're handling it with intelligence and patience. DannyTN, you've given so much thought to suggestions that might help Mrs. P. I hope one of them will work.
Teens are fascinated with cemetaries. I spent a few nights lurking in them too when I was just a young lady. We never did anything wrong, but I'm sure my girlfriends and I were probably irritating someone living nearby with our giggles, yelps of fright and silliness in general. I'm so glad that folks back then said, "ah, those darn kids are in the cemetary again", but they'd never consider shooting us.
DannyTN came up with so many ideas that I really can't think of any good ones to add. I did think of one that is humorous and just might work though. Teens seem to respect folks who aren't "fuddy duddies" (do they still use that term? LOL) Perhaps you could paint up a big sign to place in front of your house, near the road, that says, "Ghostbusters, please try to be quiet. Respect the living and the dead. SOME of the dead are sleeping in the cemetary, and so are we. Thank you, The Ghost Watchers AND The Spirits who Watch the Ghost Watchers." LOL!
The reason I asked is because you hadn't yet offered your potential solutions to the noise and vandalism problems that were occuring in the cemetery until later in the thread.
~ Blue Jays ~
The reason I was asking was I saw that someone had an innovative idea that worked for a problem similar to the one we have all year long and thought I'd ask that person if he had a good idea for our problem that would work. As it turns out, he has several!
We have already talked to the police, and they have told us to just call. We don't own the cemetery property and can't put up signs. It would be illegal to put up a barrier in the driveway at night. The churches who own the cemetery will not put in a gate or fence, although they now have installed one in the far back to keep people from driving on their newly installed water faucets. They also will not put up any significant signage - they did put up a "no trespassing" sign last year at the entrance but it's small and can't be seen at night. There is no electricity and we can't install lights even if there was, see reason number one. You mentioned night vision equipment - that reminds me of something! A few years ago I was coming home from the store after dark, and a car pulled in our drive after I had got out and was bringing groceries in. They turned out to be guys sitting in the cemetery with night vision equipment and had been watching our house and saw me pull in. Apparently the family of a person buried there whose grave had been damaged by vandals had hired them to find out who did it. They told us to call them if we saw anything go on over there but had no business card. I thought that was a bit strange. They told us the police knew they were there, but when I called the police they said they had no idea what was going on and would check it out.
Back a few years ago, there was an officer at night who would sit and do his paperwork in the back of the place, and he discouraged a lot of the stuff that went on there. He also made a couple of good drug arrests, one was a carload of kids from 15 to 18. There was also a body found back there one time about 15 years ago or so.
I never realized cemeteries were such hotbeds of social activity. I would never again buy any property anywhere near a cemetery!
That is a strange story about the guys with night vision equipment. At least it was a few years ago, so nothing came of it.
On lights, all you can do is your own property, without permission. But you can point flood lights anywhere. However, the electric company might install street lights on their poles near your property, if you are willing to pay for them. Of course that all gets into expense.
Thank you for the idea for the sign, I really like that.
Good luck with the teenager problem at the cemetery located near your house. I would start with a battery of extremely powerful spotlamps mounted on your house pointed at the cemetery. When the noise level rises, the lights go on and the police get called. They would also be useful if you hear people in your yard and you wish for saturation illumination.
~ Blue Jays ~
I should have read the three follow-up responses to see that extensive lighting was already suggested before making my comment above! The important idea to bear in mind is that it should be at "shock and awe" brightness to have real impact.
~ Blue Jays ~
I only wish a car full of cheerleaders would harass me.
I just have to say that first of all the "victim" is the neice of a former friend of mine from high school and while I don't condon randomly shooting into the street and I am not saying she asked for it but is it possible that he had takin these attacks for too long and had enough. Secondly I know the family and the former friend I spoke of was obsessed with graveyards and haunted houses in Wintersville Ohio so I'm not so sure the teen did nothing wrong, But her family is sure making her a maryter
yes really
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