Coincidence? (kinda long,sorry)

catloverin_ks

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Ok, so around here we dont ever have much crime to talk about. But I find this kinda interesting. Please read, and I apologize its rather lengthy.


Monday, February 26th I was traveling down 11th Street on my way to Parsons to take some laundry to Markâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s elderly uncle whose wife has been in the hospital & we have been helping care for him. I was stopped at the intersection of 11th & Walnut in the inside eastbound lane and notice a white single cab Chevy pick up (Approximately 2002-2004 model) with an old wooden bench in the bed of the pick up pull up in the oncoming westbound lane along side a double cab white Chevy Z71 pick up to talk to the other white pick up. Thinking how stupid it was that they would pull in the oncoming lane, but thinking maybe they were Farmland workers unsure about where they were going. He pulled in front of the other one when the light turned green. When they both turned north at Baldwin BP station I figured my assumption was correct and I proceed east on 11th. I stopped for gas just before I proceeded out of town and just before the fork in the highway to go east to Edna or north to the Industrial Park, I see the truck with the bench pulled over on the side of the highway. I recognized it as the same truck, but proceeded on towards Edna. I drove a few miles and came to a curve in the road which was a no passing zone and the truck with bench went flying around me traveling so fast I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know where it came from & it disappeared quickly. A couple miles later I came upon both white trucks again, one was parked on the side of the road with the other one parked behind it with the back of itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s truck still in my lane of traffic causing me to slow down & had to go in the other lane to get around it. Traveled on another mile and they came out of nowhere again & flew around me again very fast & disappeared. I called 911 and said there were 2 white pick ups traveling very fast that kept pulling off the road & then speeding and that I thought they might be racing and someone is going to get hurt. They said they had a deputy in Bartlett that they would send. I had just hung up and I was driving over a hill and on the other side was the 2 white trucks across the highway in what appeared to be an accident. I slowed down, however I was rather suspicious so I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t stop, I went around them. As I went around them I could see it was not a wreck it was more of a road block and it dawned on me they were tag teaming me & must have spotted me on 11th st with clothes hanging in my back window and knew I was a woman traveling alone. After I got around them they both came after me very fast and terrified I started looking around for a sign of safety and spotted a couple of vehicles around an oil pump with men around it and I pulled off the road thinking I could honk and scream if I needed their attention. One white pick up pulled off the road in front of me some distance ahead and the other white pick up pulled off the road some distance behind me. The didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t make a move because the workers were there at the oil pump. The white truck behind me pulled out and flew past me and the white truck in front of me pulled out some time later. I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t move until I saw a line of cars coming and I pulled out in front of them, I figured safety in numbers and they wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t be able to single me out. Proceeded on to Edna thinking I could find safety at the Woodshed in Edna. When I got almost to the Valeda turn off there were 2 oil holding tanks and behind them I noticed both white pick ups parked behind them waiting for me to come along, however I felt safe with 3 cars following me. I made it to the Woodshed, parked and called 911 again. Told them what happened to me and that the trucks would be coming past the Woodshed soon, she said the deputy was almost there & to stay on the line with her. Then one of white pick ups pulled in south of the pumps at the Woodshed, I told the dispatcher and locked my doors. She said to stay on the line. I could see him in my rear view mirror and he came walking up & went into the Woodshed looking at me on the cell phone as he was walking in and as he was walking out with a canned drink he purchased. I was shaking. He didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t get in his pick up but was just messing around outside of it. About that time the other white pick up pulled in and the guy with the drink went over to talk with him. I relayed this to the dispatcher and she told me to get out of my car & go into the Woodshed and the deputy was almost there. I honestly thought I was going to be shot in the back as I went in, still on my cellphone. The men got into there trucks & drove quickly out of the Woodshed and north towards Edna. The deputy wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t more than one minute behind them. He stopped a white dual wheel pick up that I never described, but he saw the other 2 pick ups. By the time he realized a woman was driving the dual wheel pick up and it was the other pick ups, they were long gone. He came back to the Woodshed to talk to me and the Woodshed had a clear picture of the man that came into their store. No one had ever seen him before. They werenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t kids. I know that had I not stopped where those men were at that oil pump, I would have probably been run off the road, robbed or worse. They meant business! I learned what I feel are some very valuable lessons and want to share them with you.
1. Always be aware of whatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s going on around you when traveling alone.

2. Never hang clothes in your back window when traveling alone.

3. Always travel with a flow of cars so you canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t be singled out.

4. Always have a cellphone and car charger with you.



Ok, and heres somethin I just found on the news.

The Coffeyville, Kansas Police Department says it needs the publics help in finding a 23 year old woman who's been missing for nearly five days.

Authorities say Rachel Dennis was last seen early Friday morning at the BP Amoco at 11th and Buckeye in Coffeyville.

Police say she may have left the gas station with an unknown man, and ask that anyone with information about Rachel Dennis contact the Coffeyville Police Department at 620-252-6160

To me its all kinda weird....like the man that abducted this last girl was posibly trying to abduct the one from the first story. BTW-that first story comes from an email my hubby got.
 

clairebear

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Wow that's scary. Those men were definetely up to no good. It's too bad that you weren't able to get thier marker plate numbers. They need to be caught before they accomplish whatever it was they wanted to do to you. I think you were very smart in the way you handled the situation. Good Job.
 

sibohan2005

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You are one smart cookie. a lot of people would have froze when they blocked the road thinking it was an accident.

I am going to take all of your advice to heart, and let my friends and family know. I am so glad your okay, I would still be freeked out if I were you.
 
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catloverin_ks

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Originally Posted by Sibohan2005

You are one smart cookie. a lot of people would have froze when they blocked the road thinking it was an accident.

I am going to take all of your advice to heart, and let my friends and family know. I am so glad your okay, I would still be freeked out if I were you.
No guys, thats not about me, sorry to confuse you.
My DH got it from a friend he works with and he printed it for me to read. So sorry for the confusion!!
 

emrldsky

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Nuh uh...might give me away!
It's unfortunate that things like this happen, but they do. Personally, I've been followed before. Luckily, I wasn't alone in the car (although I'm sure they thought I was).

My uncle asked if I would drive him home after bowling (most of my family is league bowlers...I didn't inherent that gene) because he had been drinking. I wasn't too comfortable, but I figured it was early enough (10pm) that it wouldn't be too bad.

He lived in a huge apartment complex, and as soon as I turned on the road to head towards his cluster of buildings, I noticed a car behind us. I wasn't too concerned, until they continued to follow me. I said something to my uncle (who was starting to sober up a bit), and he told me to just park and stay in the car.

So, I finally get to his place, park and as soon as I stop the car, the car that was following us pulls behind me, blocking me in. My uncle stepped out of the car, asked them what they thought they were doing...they gave some lame excuse about thinking they knew me (they didn't...and even if they did..why follow me, and then BLOCK ME IN!) and then drove off. My uncle got back in the car, told me to drive around a bit, and see if they follow again. They didn't and I made it home without incident.

There are many weirdos out there.
 

swampwitch

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That's a good story to take to heart!

I'd like to add another warning. If you are driving at night and see a car with flashing lights behind you, be aware that it is NOT necessarily a police car! Anybody can buy the lights and put them on the car. Be very careful if you let them pull you over.

If you are driving at night/alone/on a highway, it's easy to assume that it's the police. DON'T roll your window down when you pull over and KEEP the car running. Security guard uniforms look like police, too. Be very cautious until you see a proper badge and I.D.
 

krazy kat2

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In many states, it is legal for a woman travelling alone to proceed to the next well lighted, populated area when a police car turns the lights on them, as long as they make their intention known that they are going to pull over by using their turn signals and emergency flashers.
 

cairo

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I've had several stalker incidents in my lifetime that were pretty scary. A lot of the times I was completely helpless as I was too poor to afford a cell phone when I was 18.

One of the worst ones was one of my co-workers when I was a waitress. He had an obsession with me that at first was the typical crush that I used to get often, but this one went too far when he started waiting sometimes 5 hours in the parking lot, parked next to my car until I would get off work. He named his newborn daughter after me, and it just got worse and worse.

One night as I was driving home from my boyfriend's house, I had to drive through the military base the stalker lived, as it was the only road that went to my area. He drove a blue minivan and followed me everywhere. I was in the habit of evasive driving to avoid him, but he already knew where I lived (stole my file), and all I could hide was where my boyfriend lived.

Now as I was on my way back, the roads were completely dark and there was nothing around for a good 6 miles. I went up this hill and noticed in a little park area was a vehicle with only it's inside light on, and as soon as I noticed the vehicle, the light went out. I freaked out because I couldn't think why he would need to follow me home as he knew where I lived. There were so many side roads that go into the woods in this area and I just had this feeling of him running me off the road and doing the worst to me.

I was also terrified because my roommate and her dog had gone out of town so I was home completely alone. Well as soon as I saw that light go out, and all those things passed through my mind, I became resolute that I would speed past him, and outrun him to the nearest gas station or 7-11. So I did. I figured since I was in a little old sports car and he had a mini-van that I should be able to outrun him. So as I sped past him, I saw in the distance he put his headlights on and pulled out to the road. Before long he was out of sight around a bend.

Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief that my plan was working he sped up behind me faster than I could imagine with his highbeams flashing. I nearly broke down right there as he was close enough to me to bump me off the road. Then the car lit up in police sirens. It was foolish of me to assume it was a police car at that point, but I was soooooo scared that it came as such a relief. Fortunately it actually was a police, a military police. I pulled over and broke down crying histerically shaking and out of control. I had really thought my body would be in the woods by the end of the night.

When the police saw me, he thought I was on drugs or drunk by the way I was acting so he took me out of the car, and had me stand in front, but I was too faint to do that and had to sit down. He was suprisingly patient with me and when I told him the whole story, he believed me. After I calmed down a bit he escorted me to my house even though it was out of his jurisdiction. He also called a friend of his named Ricky who was a Fairfax County Police officer and worked in my area. When we got to my house the circuits had been shut off, and there was no power. He helped me turn everything back on and carefully searched the entire house. Then he went out to around the house and saw the flowers and everything had been trampled outside my window and the bathroom window. He stayed with me until Ricky came. Ricky patrolled around the house and the whole neighborhood all night.

Sadly what happened wasn't enough to warrant a restraining order and I had to deal with this for another 2 months before I switched jobs and moved. But it was definitely one of the scariest nights of my life.
 
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catloverin_ks

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Originally Posted by Cairo

I've had several stalker incidents in my lifetime that were pretty scary. A lot of the times I was completely helpless as I was too poor to afford a cell phone when I was 18.

One of the worst ones was one of my co-workers when I was a waitress. He had an obsession with me that at first was the typical crush that I used to get often, but this one went too far when he started waiting sometimes 5 hours in the parking lot, parked next to my car until I would get off work. He named his newborn daughter after me, and it just got worse and worse.

One night as I was driving home from my boyfriend's house, I had to drive through the military base the stalker lived, as it was the only road that went to my area. He drove a blue minivan and followed me everywhere. I was in the habit of evasive driving to avoid him, but he already knew where I lived (stole my file), and all I could hide was where my boyfriend lived.

Now as I was on my way back, the roads were completely dark and there was nothing around for a good 6 miles. I went up this hill and noticed in a little park area was a vehicle with only it's inside light on, and as soon as I noticed the vehicle, the light went out. I freaked out because I couldn't think why he would need to follow me home as he knew where I lived. There were so many side roads that go into the woods in this area and I just had this feeling of him running me off the road and doing the worst to me.

I was also terrified because my roommate and her dog had gone out of town so I was home completely alone. Well as soon as I saw that light go out, and all those things passed through my mind, I became resolute that I would speed past him, and outrun him to the nearest gas station or 7-11. So I did. I figured since I was in a little old sports car and he had a mini-van that I should be able to outrun him. So as I sped past him, I saw in the distance he put his headlights on and pulled out to the road. Before long he was out of sight around a bend.

Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief that my plan was working he sped up behind me faster than I could imagine with his highbeams flashing. I nearly broke down right there as he was close enough to me to bump me off the road. Then the car lit up in police sirens. It was foolish of me to assume it was a police car at that point, but I was soooooo scared that it came as such a relief. Fortunately it actually was a police, a military police. I pulled over and broke down crying histerically shaking and out of control. I had really thought my body would be in the woods by the end of the night.

When the police saw me, he thought I was on drugs or drunk by the way I was acting so he took me out of the car, and had me stand in front, but I was too faint to do that and had to sit down. He was suprisingly patient with me and when I told him the whole story, he believed me. After I calmed down a bit he escorted me to my house even though it was out of his jurisdiction. He also called a friend of his named Ricky who was a Fairfax County Police officer and worked in my area. When we got to my house the circuits had been shut off, and there was no power. He helped me turn everything back on and carefully searched the entire house. Then he went out to around the house and saw the flowers and everything had been trampled outside my window and the bathroom window. He stayed with me until Ricky came. Ricky patrolled around the house and the whole neighborhood all night.

Sadly what happened wasn't enough to warrant a restraining order and I had to deal with this for another 2 months before I switched jobs and moved. But it was definitely one of the scariest nights of my life.
Oh dear god~that gave me the creeps!! Poor you.........so glad your safe and moved away from that creep.....
 

swampwitch

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Originally Posted by krazy kat2

In many states, it is legal for a woman travelling alone to proceed to the next well lighted, populated area when a police car turns the lights on them, as long as they make their intention known that they are going to pull over by using their turn signals and emergency flashers.
Also good to know! But if you are driving, say, I-10 through Texas, at any given time you are likely an hour or so away from any lighted, populated area.

THIS kind of situation is where these creeps strike...
 

cairo

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Originally Posted by SwampWitch

Also good to know! But if you are driving, say, I-10 through Texas, at any given time you are likely an hour or so away from any lighted, populated area.

THIS kind of situation is where these creeps strike...
I've never tried this myself, but I was told by a police officer that you can refuse to open the window and have the officer show his badge. You can call 911 and request verification that it is a real badge number and that the officer is assigned to that area at the moment.

The officer said he would probably be annoyed if this happened to him, but for your own personal safety it is worth it.
 

crittergirl

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Originally Posted by Cairo

I've never tried this myself, but I was told by a police officer that you can refuse to open the window and have the officer show his badge. You can call 911 and request verification that it is a real badge number and that the officer is assigned to that area at the moment.

The officer said he would probably be annoyed if this happened to him, but for your own personal safety it is worth it.
I say, better safe than sorry! You cannot be too careful in this day and age!
 
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