Nephew Was Burgled

It's a sad fact in this world that there are people who do bad things. My nephew DJ, who recently turned 21, learned this the hard way this week. He came home from work one day to find that a roommate had suddenly moved out without warning. Not only was her stuff gone, but many of his things were gone too. He keeps his bedroom door locked, but someone jimmied the door and got in. They took his laptop computer, digital camera, two game systems and all the games that went with them among other things.

The roommate claims she hurt her arm badly and was not around for "the move." Supposedly she was at the hospital getting medical treatment. She had helpers, including her brother, move her belongings. She told DJ that she does not have his stuff and now she can't locate her brother. Sounds suspicious to me. As it turns out the brother has a record and has been convicted of robbery in the past. Of course DJ called the police right away, but they told him that since they were roommates this was "a civil matter" and he would have to take her to court to get any kind of remedy.

Yes, I'm sure he can go to small claims court, but how can he prove what happened? He wasn't there. I don't know if his other roommates would serve as witnesses or if anyone else was around. They even took some checks out of his checkbook. Fortunately DJ had the good sense to call the bank immediately so they will only honor the checks he has left remaining in his possession.

Even though it would make me very angry to have my stuff stolen, and I know it took DJ a lot of hard work to save for his belongings, there is something to be thankful for here. I am thankful that it was a crime of property and that DJ wasn't hurt.

How crazy the world can be.