ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades Mobile home vandalism

This may bring to mind some of the terrible pictures we see from America after a tornado has gone through a trailer park, but I'm afraid that this sorry-looking mobile home fell victim to a group of young punks who moved into the area a short while ago and have been causing nothing but trouble ever since.

The electrical service entrance is at the rear left corner. You can see the guy wire still attached to the bracket, and if you look closely you can see the service cable ripped down and lying across the greenery and the ground. This isn't the main drop; this comes from the meter and disconnect in a garage.


Unfortunately, this is a fully insulated cable, otherwise the bunch of hoodlums responsible might have done us all a favor by eliminating themselves permanently from the gene pool.


[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 09-15-2002).]

What happened to the trailer?

I'm lost in the story, there Paul.

Did the service drop pull the wall out when it came down?

did they drive a vehicle into this??

Paul, the picture reminds me that in the western US, sometimes rural rental trailers get used for short-run methamphetamine "cooker" labs. An error in the process blows out walls and takes occupant lives. After abandonment, they often default to nasty hazardous-waste sites. The handsome street price for the drug apparently drives such behavior.

Don't think that I would like to be these
kids, once the owners and the authorities
get a hold of them.


[This message has been edited by Trumpy (edited 12-16-2002).]

No vehicle involved. This was just the result of these teenage boys' bare hands, no doubt aided by some suitable lengths of wood, tire levers, rocks, etc. (The mobile home was already rather delapidated and showed signs of some rotten woodwork in places, which no doubt made their task easier, but then that's beside the point.)

The service cable was just part of the deal. It's probably a little hard to see if you don't know where to look, but if you follow the still-attached guy wire coming in from the left, you'll see the cable depart from it and go down into the bushes. You can also see it lying across the ground on top of some of the smashed panels.

As for the authorities, I wouldn't suggest anyone holds their breath waiting. This group have been causing havoc for weeks now (although this mobile-home incident is the worst), so much so that several people have called the police to get something done about it. Tne police don't seem that interested in actually doing anything.

Such is the system we have in this country these days. They're probably too busy looking for dangerous criminals who have parked two minutes over their alloted time or who drive through town while committing the heinous crime of not wearing a seat belt.


Oh, and I understand that several people who have been taunted by these idiots over the last few weeks have made it clear that if the police won't act, then they will.

Wow...

The right to bare arms prevents the like from happening here in WV...

Sad to say that in this country nowadays anyone who defends himself against some thug is likely to end up in big trouble (and even the Big House) himself.

Something has gone terribly wrong.....

Update:

The owner is now clearing the site of the wreckage. As for the authorities, I understand that nothing has been done.

The good news is that two of the gang have moved on, and the ring-leader is now kept locked in his house at night, courtesy of his newly returned (from jail) father. Apparently someone went around to the house and hinted that if he didn't stop his son from causing havoc.... Well, you can guess the rest!

To look at this sleepy little burg you'd think that nothing ever happened here.

Want to ask about youth crime?,
just ask the Police over here, a law is trying to be passed over here, to prevent the smacking of children, no discipline, no wonder things are getting out of control.