Creepy Peeps on the Road... (Read 1548 times)

Tonite I had an experience that made me thankful to have my cell along and gave me good cause to change my planned running route. In the last 2 miles of my run tonite I came off the paved rail trail where it ends on a semi-rural street in a sort of industrial park area. As I came out I noticed a panel van moving VERY slowly down the road. He continued to creep along going the same direction as me. Eventually he pulled over into a turn-around ahead a short ways as another vehicle came up behind him. After the vehicle went by he continued out just barely faster than me and just ahead. Each time a vehicle came up behind he would pull over and almost stop...never getting very far ahead. After about a half mile of this I took out my cell phone and called DH--making it VERY apparent that I was talking to someone on the phone. I also turned left down a residential street, instead of continuing straight, as originally planned. The street I ran down is about a half mile long. I ran at my easy pace, which is not particularly speedy, by any means. Where the street comes out I can see a more primary road just 30 yards or so to the right. And guess who I see creeping along there. He had to have driven no faster than 10mph for about a mile to have matched my pace. So I get home and am sitting around. About an hour after finish my run I see this creep drive by our house. There is NO reason for a person to just drive by, since we aren't on a thru street...the only people who have cause to drive by our house are either residents of the neighborhood or visiting locals. Where I first saw this guy is a full mile from our house...what is he doing an hour later cruising our street, particularly in a gas-guzzler when we're paying $4.20/gallon locally? Be careful, friends. If your instincts tell you to be wary, follow them.

I'm wondering if I should. I'd feel horrible if I found out that guy did something and I could have helped prevent it...but then part of me feels like I'm being overreactive and maybe he's just weird, but benign.

Kirsten, call the police! You got my spidey-sense tingling. The fact that he drove by your house like that is too creepy.

I just e-mailed the chief of police. The actual PD isn't staffed on weekends (hello, small town) so a call would just go to voicemail now, anyhow, unless I called 911, which I'd feel kinda silly doing, given that this isn't an "emergency." I'm guessing the chief will contact me Monday.

wow, that type of thing freaks me out. I had a similar situation a few weeks ago where I had a vehicle parked in my parking lot with the engine running and someone sitting in the driver's seat for hours - four nights in a row. I called the police on the fourth night and reported it, and within 10 minutes they were pulling the guy out of the vehicle at gun point. They hauled him away in the back of the police cruiser. I never found out why or what, but really didn't want to know too much. I was glad I had called when it was all said and done. I think your situation is creepy enough to raise some flags. Glad to hear that the situation didn't turn into something more!

Wow, Tony...they must have had a warrant for that guy or he had priors or something. Sounds pretty serious if guns were involved! I'll be interested to see if our police are familiar with the van I saw.

did you get his license plate number

Nope...but it was a MI plate, so not a "lost" tourist from the look of it.

I think it may be standard that they pull guns for anything around here, but hauling the guy away made me think that something was up. He wasn't parked in front of any entrances to my building - in fact he was kind of tucked into a dark corner. It happened to be that I was out running late several nights in a row, and noticed his vehicle. All I could think was that he was stalking someone, casing a place to rob, or waiting for a drug deal. Sounds like the worst thoughts of a cynic, but I couldn't think of any reasonable explanation for his being there. Nothing wrong with a heads up to the authorities. In my case, I think that I may have prevented something. Your situation sounds even worse being from a small town. Sure it could be a lost work crew, but on a holiday weekend, empty houses make good targets - oops I think that cynical thinking just popped out again.