by Jack
The following are real life crime stories straight from the police files. . .
Case #1. Silvia G., female aged 42, called dispatch to request an officer. She was reluctant to say why, but after the dispatcher persisted in knowing the reason, she finally said it was because she had paid someone to fix her car and he didn’t fix it. Although this sounded like a civil matter an officer was dispatched.
Upon arrival the Officer heard the following story from Sylvia: Her car was running rough so she looked on Craig’s List hoping to find a low cost mechanic. She saw an ad titled “Two men and a wrench.” She called the number and arranged for an appointment later that day. A “mechanic” showed up on time, took a look at her car and diagnosed it as having bad lifters and that it would need an engine replacement. He charged her $25 for the diagnostic and said that a new engine would cost about $2500 plus his labor. She said she could not afford it and the guy said he would call around and see if he could find a good used engine for less. The next day he called backed and said he found a used motor for only $1000, but he would need a $500 deposit in order to buy it. She agreed and later that day she paid him $500 in cash and he issued her a receipt written in pencil or a generic work order form.
She waited 3 weeks before contacting the police. The suspect was never seen again. (Fake address, phone and no ID)
Case #2. Kimi O. age 26, met a man on Craigslist and after a few emails they mutually decided to have their first meet up at a safe place, a baseball game. That was the last anyone saw of Kimi, that is, until her dismembered body was discovered in a dumpster. She was a mother of three.
Case #3. Retired Navy veteran Herschel K., age 69 was contacted by phone and told he had won a prize in the Jamaican Lottery. It was $250 and to claim his prize he needed to pay the tax of handling fee of about $35. However, he could choose to let it ride at no cost and see if he could win much more. Herschel, feeling lucky, decided to let it ride.
A week later he received another call saying he had doubled his money and was eligible to enter the semi-finals with a chance to win up to $100,000! Herschel let it ride once more and a week passed before his personal lottery representative called to advise he had won $4.100, but now he was entitled to enter the finals and a chance at the really big purse. No matter what happened next, he was absolutely guaranteed to receive at least $3500 as a consolation prize. By this time he and the Jamaican lottery official had become quite friendly and so Herschel thought, heck I’ve been lucky so far, why not? So he said to his new friend, “Let it ride!”
For the next 7 days Herschel waited in nervous anticipation. Then the fated call came in and to his utter amazement he had won the grand prize! Herschel could hardly contain his excitement. He could hear celebration music and much cheering in the background. Oh, it was almost too good to be true! His dreams were all about to come true, all he needed to do was wire the 10% tax and a nominal handling fee, for all the legal documents, to the Jamaican Lottery and they would overnight his winnings. That was the last Herschel saw of his life savings.
The world is filled with evil and insane people. Beware.
In the third person is the only way I can relate this without breaking down.
Pie Guevara was in his mid twenties. After taking the last of his finals at a junior college, he went to an acquaintance’s home to play penny ante poker and drink beer. Pie arrived and discovered a party was in progress with the acquaintance’s rent sharer (call him David) and that the acquaintance he expected to visit was not at home. Pie was welcomed by David whom he had met before and was offered refreshment.
There Pie met several drunks, men and women, and was introduced to Bill and his girlfriend. A person at the party Pie was familiar with (call him Craig) . Craig told Pie that another person they both knew was having a party and that he and Pie should go there. One of the drunks overheard this conversation and asked to go along. After a short time had passed (enough time for Pie to drink his bottle of beer) Pie told Craig it was time to go and they left in Pie’s vehicle.
Halfway down the block Craig said to Pie, “I don’t think it is cool that you left [the drunk] behind.” So Pie turned around and went back so that Craig get his drunk friend.
When Pie pulled into the driveway and stepped out of the vehicle, a person came up behind him and said, “Hey mother******.” Pie turned around and was shot in the left shoulder with a small caliber handgun. (.32 or .36) The bullet split Pie’s brachial plexus. In a contorted path the bullet nicked his aorta and finally came to rest in two pieces less than an inch from his spine.
Pie, still standing and his arm screaming in pain, exclaimed “What did I do, why did you shoot me?” The look on Bill’s face changed from one of pure hatred to one of shock. Bill ran away, Pie walked into the house and lay down on the living room carpet creating a sticky pool of blood. The paramedics arrived in time to save his life.
Pie never understood why Bill shot him. He guessed that Bill meant to shoot David, who was once married to Bill’s girlfriend. The court and justice system failed Pie and ultimately Bill got off without serving any time at all. Pie subsequently learned that Bill was a very bad person with a criminal record whose father was a retired sherrif.
As a result of the damage to Pie’s brachial plexus, Pie’s left arm was completely paralyzed and in constant, never ending, screaming pain that can only be described as similar to smashing your thumb with a hammer and then sticking your hand into a fire.
Pie underwent 8 hours of nerve surgery which miraculously restored partial use of his left arm and hand, but the screaming pain never stopped. Pie learned to write with his right hand (he had been left handed) and cancelled the classical and flamenca guitar lessons he had been taking for several years.
Pie has been in chronic, never ending nerve damage pain his entire adult life. Pie takes no pain killing drugs.
At first Pie was disgusted and angered by the recent death of “Prince” whom he considered an over rated musician and just another drug abusing celebrity. Then Pie leaned that the former symbol suffered from chronic pain and used prescription drugs to abate it. Pie is saddened that “Prince” suffered and then died as a result of his suffering.
The world is full of evil and insane people. Beware. It is a world full of suffering. It is a world of never ending pain. And then you die.
Worse yet, either Trump or Hillary may be the next POTUS.
Sorry to hear this. How did the perp get off? Did you ever try to seek justice in civil court? If so, what happened?
As far a Prince, I was no fan of his. To be honest, I never paid any attention to him at all. I saw him once on TV and he just looked ridiculous and seemed silly, so I never listened to his music or gave him another thought as I do for most “artists” over the last 30 plus years.
Then yesterday I came across this
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/prince-died-dead-performance-tom-petty-steve-winwood-jeff-lynne-george-harrison-greatest-guitarists-a6995511.html
Here’s another musician that surprised me. I remember hearing this song on ABC’s golf coverage. It is truly a brilliant piece of music. I never knew it was by Barry White until today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBgKBJVm1p0
Pie, glad you survived too bad the other guy didn’t get what he had coming. As one who suffers excruciating back pain due to several injuries in the same area I can relate. My injuries were due to bad people too, but unlike your case I got my satisfaction first on the street and then in the courtroom where justice was served again. In both place it was justice without mercy. Fortunately, my pain comes and goes, so I get relief for extended periods sometimes. If pain gets beyond 9 on a 1 to 10 I will take meds.
My pain from RA has been both severe and mild over thirty years. In the last ten destruction to my joints has made life a much greater challenge. It’s difficult to at times to remain cheery. Knowing that others without pain can sympathize but can’t possibly understand what it is to live with pain makes relationships at times a bit of a challenge too as do the limitations that come with it. One thing in my emotional favor, I have a child whose pain and challenges are worse than mine. She reminds me every day that no matter how bad it gets there is always someone who is worse off. Her continuing sense of humor inspires me.
I’ve recently given some thought to acupuncture; I’ve heard it can be effective. Once I’m able to retire fully I may also get massages a couple of times a month as that has helped in the past. Chronic pain causes you to tense muscles making the pain worse. Tiger Balm works well for temporary relief in individual joints.
Who knows why some of us must endure these painful and limiting physical challenges. I do know it leads to acceptance of the way things are, again and again and again. Pie I feel for you regarding the pain but also the loss of your guitar. In various ways I too have “lost” things that meant a lot to me, guitar, on a much more casual level than you describe, for one, and singing another. Life changes lead to other interests, Post Scripts being one. So thank you Pie for joining us here and sharing a bit about your life with us in this crazy less than personal medium. We are friends, yet I hardly know you, still, I appreciate the opportunity. Peace be with you, man. You are not in it alone.