Security cameras record driveway fight
Experts may debate on whether broken windows cause crime, but crime can definitely cause broken windows.
An altercation at a Gilmer short-term rental ended with a $2,000 custom window broken.
Local rental owner Scott Sherin discovered a broken window at his property and reported the damage to the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) on Friday, Nov. 24, according to an investigation report.
After finding the damage, Sherin watched his security camera footage.
It revealed a fight Saturday, Nov. 22. It began when a woman ran outside and threw rocks at a vehicle. Then, a man ran outside and placed the woman in a chokehold and pulled her across the driveway.
Two more people ran out and tried to separate the pair. Even after they separated, the woman kept trying to hit the man in the face.
Then, the man drove away from the property. As he left, the others present called for him to return because he was drunk.
The investigation report didn’t say whether the breaking of the window appeared on video.
Sherin told GCSO Deputy Kevin Starland that he is in the process of getting a formal estimate for the value of the broken window. He did not collect a security deposit from the renter.
or the GCSO, rental crimes from those outside Gilmer County pose a jurisdiction problem, GCSO Captain Frank Copeland said.
For serious crimes like child abuse, rape or murder, the justice system will go to extreme lengths to make an arrest.
“We’ve gone as far as California to pick people up,” Copeland said.
But for smaller level property crimes, it can be difficult to justify the many costs of extradition. It’s difficult to pay for local deputies to travel to other states and bring criminals back.
For property crimes below a certain level, courts may decide against pursuing extradition, he said.
“I don’t want to say it’s not serious,” Copeland said. “Because it is. That’s a lot of money. But I don’t know what the threshold is for extraditing someone from another state.”