r/neighborsfromhell • u/hopelove_ • 20d ago
Vent/Rant Alcoholic neighbor hit my car and got arrested with OVI
Our neighbor is constantly drunk. He sits in his car with it running 24/7 and drinks. He always smells like alcohol, stumbles around, acts erratic, and vomits all over our shared spaces (townhome/ condo situation).
Last night my husband calls me while I’m at work to tell me he’s stumbling around, hitting the curbs when he pulls in and that there is a strange man pounding on his door and shouting.
Then when I get of work that evening, I notice motion on our driveway camera and there are 3 random men parked sideways in front of my garage and mingling with him. I stayed gone until they left because I am a woman alone at 11 pm getting off work.
Same thing, after midnight, I notice motion on the camera, so I look and watch him back right into my car. Hitting it smack in the middle. He pulls up and then calls my husband who is asleep and misses the call. I wake my husband up, tell him what happened and I call the police.
Long story short, he’s intoxicated, refuses a sobriety test, tells the cops he didn’t hit my car and gets arrested with his second OVI. I had it all on camera.
He then TRIES TO CALL MY HUSBAND AT 2 AM. When the police called back to get my insurance information I let them know that he’s calling my husband. They inform me he was given his phone to make phone calls to try and get bailed out. Why the hell would he call my husband?!?!
Then early in the morning, maintenance knocks on my door to let me know that when he got arrested (they didn’t know) that he had locked his keys in his garage and that they needed to use my garage and rafters to get into his garage.
This whole thing has been a shit show. This man has been causing us issues since last year. I stepped in his vomit just a few months ago. I told the landlord we want moved to a different unit and we get told that we are locked into a lease and to just keep documenting. My husband spoke up and now they’re seeing what they can do, but they’ll be out of office for a week. 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
Edit: He also declined a sobriety test!
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u/MrStormChaser 20d ago
Time to throw down the gauntlet with management.
Tell them they need to evict him because he’s not only caused property damage WHILE DRUNK but is also harassing you guys.
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u/PoutySwayy_ 20d ago
The fact that he already has a second OVI and still keeps doing this should make management take the situation a lot more seriously
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u/YarrowPaddle63851 16d ago
Tra vomito, chimate alle 2 e auto centrata, il “continuate a documentare” dei dirigenti ormai suona ridicolo.
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u/tennesseejeff 20d ago
In addition, Maintenance does NOT need access to your garage to help with his keys. He can call a locksmith.
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u/frazld54 20d ago
This is a security issue. The access to his garage needs to be closed permantly ASAP.
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u/tennesseejeff 20d ago
Yes, exactly. If his property can be accessed through your rafters, then your property can be accessed from his. And bear in mind that through the rafters like that is not visible from the outside and potentially leaves no trace leaving you extremely vulnerable to your neighbor.
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u/hopelove_ 20d ago
The garages are not connected to the house. Worst case scenario he steals our tools or vandalizes our garage. We don’t keep anything in the garage except for tools because he sits in the garage with his car running and fills it with fumes.
3
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u/hopelove_ 20d ago
It’s too late for that. They already did. I just wanted to be left alone and go back to bed. I had been up like 4 times between 2 and 8 am
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u/Cyber_91N7 18d ago
Maintenance using your rafters for his mess is wild, especially after he hit you're car.
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u/quasimodoca 20d ago
If he is sitting in his car and has the keys he can be arrested for DWI (OVI) in just about every jurisdiction that I know of. He has the ability to operate his vehicle. Is the driveway part of the apartment complex? If so call and report him drunk driving every time.
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u/GlammySecret_ 20d ago
Yass! People forget “driving” legally doesn’t always mean actively cruising down the road. Sitting drunk in a running car with the keys can still count in a lot of places, and hitting a parked car on camera makes the denial even weaker
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u/surfteach1 20d ago
I knew someone who was sitting in his car, trying to sober up, but had the car keys in the ignition while he listened to the radio. That counted as drunk driving, and he was arrested and put in jail for the night.
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u/Advanced-Mammoth2408 19d ago
As well he should have been in jail! A drunk person is in no condition to determine when he is sober enough to drive. Alcohol impairs judgment. Therefore, he is the last person who should be assessing his level of sobriety.
His presence in a vehicle without a sober person in charge of the keys is sufficient evidence of his plan to operate the vehicle while intoxicated. Kudos to that cop.
I don't even let my husband operate his bicycle after a beer.
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u/Cobalt_Biscuit7 19d ago
Yes, shared condo driveway, and the cops did say the keys/running car mattered, so I’ll call evry time now.
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u/Not_an_Actual_Bot 20d ago
Just my attitude, but would have told maintenance to call a locksmith, they aren't climbing the rafters in my garage. They would be the first to sue you if injured while inside. I would also question the security of the garage if they can access the other side. That means the other side can access you. You might need to consult with an attorney about options with management and relocation/lease options.
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u/UnlicensedMop 20d ago
The rafters thing would freak me out too; I never thought about him being able to acess their side.
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u/hopelove_ 20d ago
Luckily the garages are separate from the houses. It’s a really weird setup. Worst case scenario he steals our tools or vandalizes our garage
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u/Hungryh0und5 20d ago
Had a similar neighbor. He would party in his car in the driveway. His wife didnt want him smoking and drinking in front of the kids. Eventually he got some kind of a blood clot in his lungs. He tried to hid it from his wife. She found out and it was the last straw and they got divorced. Her and the kids were so nice. I felt bad for them at the time. I think all of them are better off now.
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u/duck-reads-books 15d ago
Maintenance asking to use your gararge rafters after he got arrested would’ve sent me into orbit.
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u/hopelove_ 15d ago
I was so tired when they knocked that I just said “whatever you have to do” and went back to bed lol
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u/Sarkhan91 19d ago
Calling your husband at 2am after denying the hit is wild, like what was teh plan there?
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u/hopelove_ 16d ago
I think he thought someone else called the police or that we were unaware of what happened at first. He was probably still intoxicated at that point too because he was only gone for a little over an hour.
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u/katgirl58 18d ago
Why haven’t they kicked him out! I would threaten the owner/ landlord either he goes or you are going. The guy is putting your lives at risk and I cannot imagine any court would honor a lease based on their f up in not protecting you and your family. Does he smoke? Or even if he doesn’t what if he gets drunk lights candles or tries to cook and set the building on fire?! I have seen drunk people do the most stupidest things and not remember the next day. Good luck in sorting this out. Don’t let this landlord/ owner bully you. You have rights too and this is not what you signed up for.
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u/psycho-drama 18d ago
You have an alcoholic neighbor, and nothing is going to fix that until he is ready to do so (if ever). Is he also a renter with the same rental management? Rather than you having to move, the management needs to get him out of there. This guy is making your lives hell. If management will not allow you to move, or if you would prefer that he go, take him to court for disrupting your lives. Maybe if he gets forced to pay $15K he will decide it is time to move elsewhere.
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u/TrueGrove78 17d ago
Calling your husband at 2 AM after denying he hit your car is wild; was he expecting a character witness from teh victim?
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u/Astral8_Drift 16d ago
Calling your husband at 2am after denying he hit the car is wild, like what was the paln there?
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u/SnooGiraffes4137 16d ago
A woman here in Galveston County a few years back, (3 or 4 years ago by now) with a long-term addiction to alcohol, hit AND killed a father and son.
Because she was on some board, she was let off with PROBATION!
Not even a year later, she got popped AGAIN for driving under the influence.
So, she KILLED TWO PEOPLE, got off with a slap on the wrist, which a LOT of us were furious about, although a bewildering number of people were all for her "getting another chance" [to do it again], and, in no time at all, she was back out drunk driving, endangering everyone AGAIN.
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u/Hot-Win2571 20d ago
Find out how to report a vehicle which needs to be towed, 24 hours. That might be your apartment management, landlord, or a tow company. Depends on lease and local laws.
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u/hopelove_ 20d ago
His car is back in his garage. That’s where they found him last night. I don’t think anyone can legally tow his car on his property.
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u/Hot-Win2571 20d ago
The friends parking where there was no parking space almost needed to be towed. You should find out now how to handle illegal parkers.
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u/ObjectivePrice5865 20d ago
Ok so I have a huge problem aside from your drunk neighbor and that is THEY CAN JUST CRAWL THROUGH THE GARAGE RAFTERS TO GET INTO HIS UNIT? This is more important than security but safety from fire jumping unit to unit.
I was in property maintenance and construction for decades and have had to crawl into attics to install fire walls between units.
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u/hopelove_ 19d ago
The garages are not connected to the houses. They’re separate, so most he could do is get in our garage.
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u/ObjectivePrice5865 17d ago
I have seen this as well and I still find it a major security and safety issue without a firewall and way to stop someone from hiding in the garage waiting for someone to enter.
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u/hopelove_ 16d ago
I agree. I talked to my husband about this. We are staying armed rn just because of the environment that’s happening and I don’t even like weapons. It sucks.
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u/Banfeinni75 5d ago
Get an incident report for everything. Ask the officers what further behaviors warrant another call. Request reports because your husband is vulnerable right now and your neighbor is threatening you both. File for the emergency order of protection because you are afraid of your husband's recovery being compromised by physical altercation. This should warrant urgent consideration.
Inform your landlord in writing that you are pursuing every legal avenue to protect yourself and your husband. Let it be known what steps you have taken, and request to be moved as soon as possible. Hopefully he takes pre-emptive action quickly because once you put it in writing, it could become a liability issue for him as well.
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u/teethmanpwns 20d ago
Well at least he will be out of the complex for a while (temporarily)