Twelve years ago last night we had a crazy experience in our lives. Thankfully it was somewhat brief, though overwhelming. I was pregnant at the time (though only thought I was expecting Shanna, not Haley as well!) and Lee was in optometry school. The main scar left from this experience is I get freaked out when people knock on my door when it's dark out. Yes, to this day. Rarely will I answer! I did edit this email (sorry Lee), but the main story is still intact.
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Lee's Story (email written September 29, 2006)
Due to much curiosity and my having to tell the story over and over,
I decided to just send an email to the class describing what happenedto me Tuesday night.
That night I was working late in the library. I actually closed up
early and was home by 10:20. As I was walking down the sidewalk
toward my "quad" area (two apartment buildings that face each other)
I saw three guys across the parking lot walking toward me. As I
turned my back on them to go into my quad I heard one yell out to
me. I of course ignored him as I didn't feel like having a
conversation with three suspicious guys 10:30 at night. By the time
I was halfway up my stairs they too were in my quad and one of them
asked me if I had a lighter. "No, sorry" I said, and kept on
walking. Just after I got to my door and was taking my keys out I
heard somebody running up the stairs behind me. I turned around just
in time to see a tall lanky guy dressed like it was 30 degrees out
and with those weird fang-things in his mouth. I also happened to
notice that he had a large pistol pointed at my head. "Drop your
*bleep* keys *bleep* he yelled. I dropped 'em. "Freak, this guy's
going to go into my house" I thought to myself!
"Drop your backpack *bleep*", the guy yell. And then, "Give me your *bleep* wallet!!"
"It's in my backpack" I told him (cause it was). I guess that wasn't the answer he was looking for
because he seemed a little flustered. He turned me around and
checked all my pockets. That's when I got a look at the other two
guys down below. I saw that both of them were pointing guns at me, so
that's when I abandoned all my plans to pull out the kung fu. "Who's
inside?" he yelled. "My wife and kids" I told him. Not long after I
said that, thoughts of these guys coming back after my wife told me
that a better thing to say would have been something else.
Well, now he's got my stuff and he tells me to walk back down the
stairs! 'Great!' I thought, 'now they're going to take me out and
shoot me!' Luckily, when we got to the bottom of the stairs they
just had me lay face down on the ground. I just stayed there until I
heard my car start up and drive far enough away that I couldn't hear
it anymore. About 10 seconds later my neighbor and another guy that
happened to be out came over asked me if I was ok. 'Good, they saw
everything,' I thought. Turns out they just saw me laying on the
ground and thought that I had fallen down.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…my wife had a friend over and they heard
me coming up the stairs so Ruth commented to her friend that I was
almost home. Our door has these opaque glass blinds and she and her
friend heard a commotion and saw the silhouette of this guy pointing
a gun at me. Luckily for me they didn't scream or even make
themselves known. That last thing I needed was a flustered gun-
holder and my wife involved. They ran into the back room and called
911.
After the guys left, I went up and knocked on my door. Nobody
answered. I turned the door knob and it was open! Ruth had had
several friends over that night and with all the people leaving the
door didn't get locked like usual. Anyway, I walked into my bed room
and found a very terrified wife. We quickly called the police
again. We also called all our bank and credit cards and got them
cancelled. We also called "On Star" and told them to self destruct
my van. I wish! Seriously though, General Motors should consider
the option! Oh well, that wouldn't have done any good since our van
is a Mercury.
Let me just say it was not an experience I wish to repeat. I know
God was watching out for me and I'm thankful He preserved my life
that night. He also inhibited the thought process of my three
buddies and after only 24 hours our van was returned to us.
Last night we got a loud knock at the door after we were all asleep.
Neither of us was too keen on answering it. [We were SUPER freaked out!]
I eventually got close enough to the door to hear that
it was someone with a walky-talky. I
took my chances and opened the door. It was one of the Cabana's
security guards. (Our complex was called the University Cabana's.)
He said they had my car, so I followed him to the
guard shack out in front of the apartment complex. Sure enough,there was my van with a guy and girl sitting in it. He got out and
told me that earlier three guys robbed him and left the van. He
heard that the van had been stolen from the Cabana's and so he and
his girlfriend got in the stolen car and drove it here. The security
guards recognized it and the driver told them he was returning it.
When the police arrived he told them a more detailed story which
sounded even more worthy of being on that "Dumb Criminals" show.
Anyway, they didn't believe him and so he was arrested for possession
of a stolen vehicle.
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So glad our Lee is around! December of 2006, when I DID find out that I was having twins (and completely freaking out) I was overcome with gratitude that my husband was spared to live longer and I didn't have to raise four kids ages 3 and under by myself. We love you Lee!
We recently visited Memphis. Here is the infamous location of the hold-up and our old apartment. We live upstairs, #2.
And here the ground that they made Lee lay on, facedown. He thought he was going to get shot up. Thankfully the guys just drove away. Better to have a stolen vehicle than a dead husband! Thankfully it's all a bad/funny memory.
