Okay, so if you didn't already know, we deliver the newspaper. It's a motor route in the middle of nowheresville, Stanwood.

We deliver the Times and Post, there is also a Herald carrier on our route. This Herald carrier is the brother of a lady that works with me who has told me stories about him, having guns and doing very odd, paranoid type stuff.

The father of the Herald carrier, and the sister I know, is certifiably Paranoid Schizophrenic. The son is in his mid 20s, about the age when such a mental condition is supposed to appear (so I'm told) and has been showing signs of mental illness. I'm in no way educated or learned up on what illness is what but Jason (that's his name) has basically created problems with past carriers that deliver on the same route with him, many a time. I know that he's been trying to build a 10ft fence around his and his parent's house, because he's heard noises out in the woods and was out there, with gun, searching for it once. There are other things but I'd have to really think about what they were and I'm not quite calm down enough to do so.

I've been opposite him on my route for a good 1.5 years with NO problems. I've made every effort to be extra nice and kind so that I don't have problems with him like the other carriers have and I think it's been working. Other carriers have had him block the street so he can cuss them out or have had their papers stolen from him.

So I just got a phone call a few minutes ago, from him (we traded numbers so if either of us had problems on the route, we could help each other). My husband did the route last night and was "ahead" of Jason. Jason, somehow knows that there was to be a Christmas present in one of his newspaper tubes and it wasn't there when he got there. So, without any consideration of any other possible reasons the gift was not there, he calls us up, threatening us by saying he's going to "eff with us forever" so on and so forth.

I talked reasonably with him. I tried to see if we could meet up with the customer and see if there was some sort of misunderstanding, something. But he'd hear none of it. I told him that my husband is really and truly someone who doesn't steal and that we've been leaving other carrier's presents and tips in their tubes, alone, for years. He'd hear none of it. All the while, threatening to really ____ with us and to never let this go. He also sort of made it sound as though we're responsible for him not getting many Christmas tips and presents in his tubes thus far. Ugh.

I was being very nice with him and tried to stay calm. Then Cory got on the phone and talked to him and wasn't as nice but more the appropriate "I'm being threatened and accused of stealing" tone one would normally take with someone, kwim?

I called my supervisor, who knows exactly whom I'm talking about. We all know he's "off". He says we should call the police but I'm fearful that that will cause a bigger problem. He's going to call Jason's boss about this and I requested his boss call me too.

Here's what I'm fearful of. The guy has done some pretty crappy things to other carriers for offenses, in his imagination, that are lesser than stealing his present. We're out there, in the middle of nowhere, at 4am, crossing paths with him, several times. He's assumabley schizophrenic, which I hear is something you can have passed to you by your parents (correct me if I'm wrong) and have at least been told a few scary stories about him from his sister. His girlfriend, when they worked for the Times/Post, has come in, blatantly beat up by him. He has a gun. He's threatening us... not quite our lives but almost, on the phone, a bit ago.

What the hell do I do? I can't quit, the routes bring us over 2k +a month and we really need that. My husband can't do the route every night for me, and I'm even fearful of him doing the route. There's not a plethora of routes available and the one that is, doesn't make near what this one does as I've got one of these routes, sent down upon from the heavens, pay wise.

For tonight/Sunday's paper, my husband and I split it and are about 4 hours ahead of him, so that will not be a problem for our safety but I will still make sure my husband takes the kids on his half or do his half with the kids. After that day, my husband has the week off from his job, to what he already works 50 hours at. But even then, I don't like the thought of him out there with Jason and his anger and his possible gun. If I do the route, I could do the parts where I see him, first, and work my way backwards but that really doesn't make sense for my route as the tubes are on a certain side of my car so I can reach them, and is 70 miles long.

I think I'll drive to the customer's house, that he thinks we stole from, and see what other explanations there are for why the present wasn't there. I don't want to be fearful on my route. My husband left the conversation with him with "we're calling The Herald, we're calling the police". I think doing either of those will escalate the situation. My boss says the police know him very well and would love it if I called. Ack!

Beyond just a safety concern, I can guarantee he'll be stealing our papers.

Suggestions, advice, clarifications on schizophrenia, is highly needed, fast. If I'm going to call the police, I should do it soon. But if you suggest that, tell me how that'd help the situation... they can't take him in forever and he'll just be more ____ed.

Thanks

 

Call the police, call the newspapers.... I take it you are a 1099 contract worker and not actually an employee? If you are an actual employee (a company pays you W-2 wages, they take taxes out of your paycheck and pay soc security etc.) then I believe your boss is obligated to diffuse a hostile work environment. IF you are a contractor, you are on your own and NEED to go to the police either way. Again... more Christmas Chaos

 

Yes, we are contracted, him and I. He was working for the Times a few years ago and I don't know the exact way they got rid of him there but ultimately it was him being hostile with other carriers and employees of the Times, within the warehouse.

Call the police... yeah. Crap. I know I should but what if I can clear this up with the customer here in a few hours and be able to prove it to him that we didn't steal his stuff... but we already told him we were going to call. He said "bring it on". Okay... seriously thinking about the cops... maybe I'll try now and call the Herald first. I know my boss is calling them, one DA to another but maybe I'll call right now too.

Thanks Steve.

Freaking hell... what a craptastic, unasked for issue. Grr.

 

Okay, called the Herald and they contacted the owner of his route, his sister, about the issue but said that's the best they could do.

I just called 911 and they said they'd have a deputy contact me.

I think this will really solve nothing, just make things worse but if I file a police report, they'd have it on record that he's threatening me and might help if there's a future problem, right?

Ugh... I should be sleeping. I'm sooo on edge.

 

Jenna.... be careful!!

From my experience with paranoid schitzophrenic people is that you can't expect normal reactions to anything from them because they are in their own world, especially if they get the idea you are an enemy. (And he might view your husband as more of a threat because he's a male, whereas you're a woman and he might view you as non-threatening.) If you confront them, even nicely, and they imagine you are a threat, they will react like you are threatening them. We had a neighbor who was schitzophrenic and he'd lash out if you tried to go to his house for any reason, but kept to himself otherwise.

My advice is to avoid him if possible but also to let the police in your community know the situation. It's not like the police are going to harass him or arrest him, but sometimes people get off their medication and need outside intervention from professionals. The police might be able to diffuse things, but I think time and avoidance might do the same. I agree with also talking with the customer who supposedly left a present. (Meth-heads might have been "shopping.") And always have your cellphone with you!!

Drive safe and merry Christmas!

Anne

 

Thanks, Anne, for the safe wishes, tips and schizophrenia information.

Yes, a cell phone. That's what the police officer said to me on the phone just now.

He isn't having me file a report or anything, just said that I should go and file a no-harassment order, or something, from the courthouse on Tuesday. He did look him up on his computer and said he does have quite the history with the Arlington police... great! He just said that if I feel like I'm in danger or if he's giving me grief, to call them. I guess they will have a record of me at least calling about it.

About the Meth-Head shopping thing, that could very well be except, Jason did have a point that nobody would go down there to steal from newspaper tubes. It is just a little road/cul-de-sac and the chances of that happening, are rare. There's just got to be a miscommunication between the customer and him, or the customer didn't leave the present or something.

I just know for a fact that my husband didn't take it. He's just not that type of person, at all. Anyone who knows him would say the same thing.

I hope to God that the customer can help me with this here when I go to see them. I hope I'm correct with who he said it was too..

 

ok, here's a suggestion:

first off, DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. grab a journal, start a private blog - whatever. document everything, and stick to the facts. he said such and such, and so on.

many cops like to take side jobs to supplement their income. Talk to a few, and mention that you have a need for a 'private security detail', but don't have a whole lot of money. _Don't_ go into deep detail, just gloss it over with something like, I work late nights, and have received some threats. You'll soon find a taker, and for the cops that aren't interested, they will often direct you to a gung-ho cop that would likely be willing.

the arrangement would go something like this: you hire the cop for a week or so, and tell him that you simply want him to observe, and document. Intervention would be a last resort. Be willing to pay a fair amount of money, and accept the cop's compensation terms. I would suspect that most would prefer to remain uniformed, but you would have to respect the officer's wishes in this regard. It would be ideal to have a plain-clothed officer.

After you've got his interest, then you may go into details such as the fact that you believe the menace to be emotionally or psychologically unstable. You will be asked why you wouldn't simply file a report, and here's where you throw the rub: you're concerned that the guy may slip the wrap if you don't first build a solid case. Tell him you need to make sure that you have enough against this guy so that you don't risk retribution from an armed schitzo.

In the long run, to keep a 2k/mo route, a thousand or so here will be worth it if you can get this guy put away.

 

cherryBox, thanks for the response, I'll read it a bit later as I'm on my way out the door, to deliver stolen papers now. Seems as though quite a few of my customers had their papers stolen. Mother effer!

 

About the Meth-Head shopping thing, that could very well be except, Jason did have a point that nobody would go down there to steal from newspaper tubes. It is just a little road/cul-de-sac and the chances of that happening, are rare. There's just got to be a miscommunication between the customer and him, or the customer didn't leave the present or something.


cherryBox, thanks for the response, I'll read it a bit later as I'm on my way out the door, to deliver stolen papers now. Seems as though quite a few of my customers had their papers stolen. Mother effer!

 

ok so messing around with Scycho paths are very touchy situations. After working in a mental ward I know a little bit about this stuff. A paranoid Scyzo is always talking to himself and making things up in his head. They create things that aren't real and are not really there. If this guy is off his medication there are steps you can take to enforce him to take his medication. Wit hmedication alot of the paranoya wil disapate. As far as him having guns. Well that is just a bad combination. If he calls and starts threatening to kill you then you have every right to call the police and say that he is now threatening your life and endangering your family. I know that this sucks because you cannot do anything untill something happens or the threats become life threatening. And unfortunalty this is how it goes. I would however take the police's sugestion about getting a restraining order agaisnt him and make sure that it states that it is a no contact order as well. Wich means that you cannot call him either. Then if he violates taht order then you can have him arrested. Also when he is arrested if he shows signs of abnormal behavior they have the right as lawa enforment officers to institutionalize him. And with that they start to put him on a regement of meds that may help him untill they find the right combination.

Here is the cool thing about that. I am sure that once he gets equaled out he is probably a very nice person. And his family will really thatnk you for this.

The institution will set up a monitering program with the local police departmetn that requires a montitered program for him to take his meds. Now the only time that this happens is when he is deemed a menace of the comunity. And from the sounds of what you are discribing he is very definatly a menace to the comunity. So unfortuantly the only way you can really solve this is properly file a restraining order against him and document every thing that he does. And document all the phone calls with him even if you have to record them. THen all can know what you are talking about and yes since you at least called the police it is documented that you called. But now with a restraining order agaisnt him they will pay allot more closer attention to this individual.

Try not to rattle him to much but definatly take the steps to protect both you and your family and carry a cell phone with you at all times.

Victor

 

Cherrybox, that'd be awesome but I don't know if I could do that, lol. I do plan on talking to more police officers here soon, now that I listened to the voicemails he left me this morning, before I called him back.

As for the issue of the missing gift, I just went to the customer's house. They had called the Herald to let him know that there'd be something in the tube for him but forgot to put it in the tube. I sort of hinted to them that I was scared and that I wished they called but their phone rang and I was ushered out the door.

Victor, you scare me further (and that's not a bad thing, I should know the reality of the situation). I really need to do something about this, big time.

So about the phone messages. I wish I knew how to put them up online. The first one goes something like "I know what you did last night and I can't wait to talk to you about it. I know you're stealing and I can't wait to see you in person... I really, really can't wait to see you in person.". The next one he says something like "I can't believe two overweight people would steal... overweight people stealing, wow. I can't wait to see you in person". or something like that... saying over and over in both messages how he wants to see us in person.

I saved the messages. I think I'll make a police officer hear them. I'm very scared now.

 

Don't be to scared it sounds like he is obsessing allot. That is very normal most of the time they do not act on their threats. But it sounds as if he is making himself a nusience. Get the restraining order and go from there, Try not to get to upset. He probably will never act out on his threats. but by protecting yourself you can have him arrested and institutionalized. As soon as he realizes that it was a mistake then he will probably back off. He will still obsess so you still need to get that no contact order and restraining order on him.

It sounds as if the problem in the past and the reason this has never been taken care of is that people just thought to them selves that his a sick person so I do not have to persue it. And then nothing ever gets rectified. Stay firm and take the appropriate steps, and force him to get the help that he needs.

Victor

 

Thanks Victor. I am scared though. I just re-listened to the first message... he said "I'll be getting a hold of you. I'll REALLY be getting a hold of you". Just a random clarification. I hope you're right and he'll stop obsessing. But then I think back to the months and months and years people have had him on their routes and his unrelentiveness (that's not a word, I don't believe, lol). On one hand, I want to think I'm over reacting and I did have myself convinced of that earlier but that was before the nightmarish sounding voicemails.

I will call the police again and make them listen to the voice recordings and see if we can't get a better record of my complaint.

I'm fearful that I have no way of proving that the customer forgot to put the gift in the tube... that he'll just assume his threats worked and we put it back in for him. He also, in the first voice message, says he knows we have been doing this all week... stealing his stuff.

 

oh that sounds just horrible I would definatly get the police involved especialy since he is still leaving threatening voice mails on your phone nd save then so they can listen to them in person and get that guy locked up

 

How to deal with unstable folks 101

First try....

Stop by the dollar store and buy a gift for him and slip it in the box that he was expecting a gift in and see what happens.

If that doesn't work, a little work is in order for you.

First, go buy a peice of styro-foam about 2 feet wide and 4 feet tall. Carve it into a shape of a grave stone and paint it stone grey.

In white letters, write his name and a departed date a couple days out.

Take this grave stone out and put it next to a box he will visit.

Course you know, I'm making light of your situation... I'd give the present a try and see what happens.

 

Victor is pretty right on with this. I have a BA in psych going towards my masters, If this guy was a violent paranoid schizo, he would be closley watched, and even monitored by family members to ensure medication taking and etc... If his family is not too terribly concerned with his behavior (they let him work in the public...) then it is possible he is more of a nusiance than a real threat. Just the same, document, keep the messages, and keep the police in the loop.

Take care and keep us posted (uh, no pun intended...)!

 

Slingleshot... a gravestone, lol!

Wicked, you're probably right but let me add a few things. He is violent to his girlfriend who has shown up to the warehouse with black eyes and other questionable injuries. He also has just started much of this behavior the past few years. I don't know how much involvement his family has had or if they're trying to do something about it... I hope your thought on his family keeping tabs on him is correct. You'd think they'd be in the "know" if the father is schizophrenic and know the warning signs.

I'm going to go to the police station in the next hour or so and have them listen to the voice mails and see if I can't demand to know what his past violations are, if they're violent or crazy type things, per the thought process of trying to figure out if he's a violent man or just a thieving jerk or whatever.

 

Good luck Jenna, hope you get this worked out.

 

Jenna,

I would assume if the policceman looked at his record and still told you just to call...hopefully there wasn't anything terribly alarming on there.

Hope the station visit goes well....

 

one word... kevlar. or you could be the first people to have the "up armor mod" to the xB