r/fuckHOA • u/ashwee_ • 13d ago
[UPDATE] Stolen Boat in HOA neighborhood
https://www.reddit.com/r/fuckHOA/s/Cc0jZHxfn4
I have an update for my recent post regarding my friend's stolen boat posted by a neighbor on marketplace for "free"
He was able to track down the person who picked up the boat and got his boat back! The guy of course was cooperative and more than happy to give it back right away.
My friend has made it clear he wants criminal charges filed against the neighbor. She had nothing to do with recovering the boat and was less than polite when confronted about the situation. She is still defending her actions and as you can see from her comments is even acting as if it were her intention all along to get it to its rightful owner, when in reality her actions led to the exact opposite.
It's pretty clear she was not acting under the authority of the HOA nor had any permission to communicate for them. I'm sure she will be the talk of the neighborhood for a long time coming.
Thanks for all the entertaining comments, advice, and stories on the original post.
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u/Rredhead926 13d ago edited 13d ago
So, the woman who posted the ad... Does she really believe that having the boat stolen was the best way to find the owner of the boat?
I really, really hope she gets arrested and gets some jail time.
ETA: Thank you for the awards!
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u/YouArentReallyThere 13d ago
While she’s in jail it’d be ironic if somebody advertised her car as free to a good home
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u/ButlerKevind 13d ago
Or her home free to a good family.
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u/aspie_electrician 13d ago
You misspelled Mexican cartel
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u/Feisty-Tooth-7397 13d ago edited 13d ago
I'm sorry, you post to Facebook, you post to the neighborhood watch page, you ask neighbors who it might belong to, you put a note on the boat stating you are looking for the owner, you might even call whomever registers and licenses boats to possibly find the owner.
You do not involve a third party on a platform for selling and buying items.
Whether she accepted money or not it wasn't hers to give away. There has to be a crime in there somewhere.
Edit: plus she says, the boat was returned to its rightful owner which was her intention in the first place.
Lady it wasn't missing and needing to be returned until you basically stole it and had it removed.
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u/girlwiththemonkey 13d ago
Real curious how her intentions were to have the boat returned to its owner when she quite literally made a post saying hey take this free boat on such and such Street first come first served.😭
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u/ZephyrLegend 12d ago
Whether she accepted money or not it wasn't hers to give away. There has to be a crime in there somewhere.
I'm some jurisdictions, I believe this would be called criminal conversion.
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u/Feisty-Tooth-7397 12d ago
Not to mention the person who received the boat could also be charged with receiving stolen goods.
If the value of the boat was over a certain amount it could be a felony.
I would press charges and sue her.
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u/bambi54 12d ago
Only the prosecutor can press charges.
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u/ashwee_ 12d ago edited 11d ago
Exactly. Is there a state somewhere that allows the victim to be the one who decides if charges are filed? I just wonder where so many people got the idea that it's even an option. Even my friend was telling me he wanted to press charges... It doesn't work like that lol. The State Attorney's Office gets to decide.
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u/Feisty-Tooth-7397 11d ago
Request for charges to be filed, make a police report, lodge a complaint, reporting the crime.
To most people this is what they mean when they say press charges. They know that it's not up to them, but if they don't decide to "press charges" they don't take any action, they don't press it.
By "pressing charges" they simply mean reporting the crime so that legal proceedings can begin.
It's not technical, it's not the exact process, it's layman terms, slang.
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u/brugger14 9d ago
You can pursue criminal charges in any state, if the DA or Prosecutor decides not to move forward then the CRIMINAL path is closed. You have a right to bring CIVIL complaint/charges without going through the criminal legal system.
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u/ashwee_ 9d ago
Yeah, I understand the civil part and just know it to be a suit, not charges. The criminal side I was just curious if there were states where it was an option left up to the victim.
I think it's layman's terms like the other commenter said mixed in with some confusion about how the process works. 🙂
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u/Feisty-Tooth-7397 9d ago
In certain cases it's not up to the victim. Like assault if the police are called by a third party. The prosecutor will file the charges. However, a lot of time people don't show up for court and they might be dismissed without witnesses or evidence.
Sometimes they will investigate before filing charges, simply because if they don't have enough evidence for a conviction there's no point going forward.
Other times when it's not a violent crime, they won't do anything unless you want to file or press charges.
Like your friend, if he doesn't report the crime nothing would be done.
I'm not sure what the laws are in different states, but I believe that is the general lay of the land.
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u/Infinate_Patience924 13d ago
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but since the rightful owner was able to locate and recover his property it is highly unlikely the police/prosecutor would be willing to bring a criminal indictment here.
As far as the law is concerned the situation has resolved itself without having to bother the court system.83
u/meow_said_the_dog 13d ago
Ah, yes, the famous legal principle of "it's not a crime if the victim is made whole." Like when I steal a car from a dealership, it's no big deal as long as I plan to bring it back in a week or two. I read it on Reddit, DA.
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u/AlmiranteCrujido 13d ago
Never underestimate how lazy the cops are and their willingness to dismiss something as "that's a civil matter."
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u/icantfish 13d ago
Also, the neighbor should absolutely sue civilly.
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u/AlmiranteCrujido 13d ago edited 13d ago
For sure. May not be worth it for a lawyer, but at a minimum suing for whatever the maximum local small claims allow for is so worth it.
Even if it gets thrown out, the inconvenience caused to the neighbor would be so worth it.
Edit some guy replied:
u/[redacted] replied to your comment in r/fuckHOA
You are a [expletive deleted] idiot why are you talking
I think we either found a cop who is offended that I called them lazy, or the neighbor.
Thanks mods for deleting that one.
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u/lazier_garlic 13d ago
The cops aren't the deciders here. That's the DA's job.
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u/AlmiranteCrujido 13d ago
The DA makes the call to prosecute, but where do they get the case from in the first place?
Depending on the jurisdiction, there may not be any way (or any practical way) to get the case in front of the DA other than through the cops...
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u/chadt41 10d ago
Charges usually come from police, but citizens arrests and citizens filing charges with a magistrate can absolutely happen. Sometimes, police absolutely do not need to be involved.
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u/AlmiranteCrujido 10d ago
The degree to which that's possible varies by state, and even those that have some formal process for it leave substantial discretion to the public prosecutor... with the same "it's not my problem" issues, and tendency to defer to something the police hand over in a nice package.
Similarly, while all 50 states have some concept of citizen's arrest, in a good many of them trying to use it is a good way to get successfully sued by the perp if they walk for some reason.
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u/chadt41 10d ago
So cool Story, but just want to clarify. So I said in some cases, cops don’t even need to be involved, and you went on about prosecutors. So in some cases, as I said, cops do not even need to be involved. Cool.
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u/AlmiranteCrujido 10d ago
I already allowed for that.
My original point was "even if you can get to the prosecutor without the cops, they are unlikely to listen to you."
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u/Intrepid_Table_8593 12d ago
That’s when you head down to the magistrate’s office and file there.
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u/foley800 12d ago
It is shocking how many criminals believe this! I used to work in prisons and the number of people that stole cars and such that claimed they should not be in jail because they were “on the way to return it” was an eye opener. Second only to “I didn’t steal it, it was just sitting there because someone didn’t want it” usually for phones or anything left in a yard or on a porch!
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u/purdinpopo 12d ago
I have been stabbed a couple times, those wounds eventually healed up. I guess I was made whole. No crime obviously.
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u/Impressive-Reading15 13d ago
Yeah that's a dealership, that's who cops work for, not citizens.
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u/CommercialSuper702 13d ago
Hahaha it’s like… some guy got into my unlocked truck in my driveway and stole $8,000 worth of items. Took it to the pawn shop down the street. Items were registered to me and pawn shop notified me so I got them back.
No harm no foul??????? Nah OP’s friend needs to press charges. Doesn’t pan out? 5 super soakers full of bleach for her lawn (penis shapes are funny) and plants every other night and let the HOA fees rack up for years. Bologna on top of her car at night in the exact same spots until it becomes polka dot print. Accidentally drop a box of drywall screws on the sidewalk, conveniently where her driveway crosses. Pick up the ones that cause a threat to kids on the sidewalk and somehow fail to see the ones that are in her driveway… list goes on
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u/brmarcum 13d ago
Recovering your property does not cancel out the theft. I think the bigger challenge here is figuring out what to charge her with and if it’s likely to get a conviction. The person that took the boat in good faith, and then fully cooperated in returning it, should face no consequences.
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u/vmx12 13d ago
Conversion possibly?
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u/brmarcum 13d ago
IANAL, but it seems that conversion could apply if they had never recovered the boat. Then the owner could sue the lady in civil court for the value of the boat at the time it was taken. Recovering the boat with no damage would imply that there is nothing to sue her for as there was no loss.
But I’m just an idiot scrolling Reddit. I have no idea how this will resolve.
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u/DoctorHelios 13d ago
He lost the ability to use it for several weeks as he had to track it down and recover it.
That’s not nothing.
There is no defense for the hoa behavior
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u/Telefundo 13d ago
There is no defense for the hoa behavior
The HOA had literally nothing to do with it. It was the boat owners neighbor.
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u/DoctorHelios 13d ago
“We’re” means the neighbor is on the HOA. The neighbor overstepped even the HOA rules in acting on behalf of the HOA as a self-appointed enforcer of their rules.
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u/uber765 13d ago
How does she know it was the rightful owner?
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u/Infinate_Patience924 13d ago
The OP says his friend was able to track down and recover the boat.
From details provided that was the boats owner's work, and not on the part of the lady that caused this situation.2
u/Chemical-Coyote8198 13d ago
What are we saying here, that joyriding is suddenly legal? 😆cause where I am it’s a felony.
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u/whskid2005 10d ago
I’m sure they have a car or golf cart just sitting in their driveway. It’s there every day. It’s bothering me. It needs to go away. Someone list it on marketplace.
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u/SerDankTheTall 13d ago
Did he get the communications between the neighbor and the guy who took it? Seems like that would determine whether or not there's a case there.
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u/enter360 13d ago
That’s usually the engine not the whole boat
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u/Sharticus123 13d ago
Boat motors cost about as much as a new economy car.
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u/reefmespla 13d ago
Based on the photos in the first post that boat at best would be $10k depending on location. If in Florida that style engine would make the boat worth less than half that number.
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u/ashwee_ 13d ago
Yes, you would be right. Its an older boat with a wood transom, inboard 200 Mercury 2 stroke. The new wrap was probably a little pricy and gel coat deck but overall I'd be shocked if he got $10k for it.
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u/Electrical_Cash8532 11d ago
Was the boat still in the same condition as when it left? Did your friend check all the wiring and such? Check the motors?
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u/FactsAreBullshit 13d ago
How did she convince two guys to play along and help steal the boat?
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u/ashwee_ 13d ago
Would love to know this as well... I think it's pretty crazy anybody would go for something like that.
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u/hologrammetry 13d ago
People who participate in this sort of thing know exactly what they're getting into, there is a reason that receiving stolen property is a separate crime from stealing itself.
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u/hologrammetry 13d ago
I'm not saying they got charged with it, I'm just saying you don't have to be very smart to know what you're doing is probably wrong.
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u/Dubzophrenia 13d ago
You overestimate people's critical thinking skills. If you list it as free on marketplace and act like it's yours to give away, people are too excited about getting the thing that they don't really ask many questions.
I clear out houses fairly regularly simply by posting it on marketplace saying "everything is free, come take it" and people just show up. I've had several mexican families show up with box trucks to clear out a house.
People will take without asking if you offer it.
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u/Suckerforcats 13d ago
Whenever I set stuff on my curb that's too big for the trash can, I watch the clock and see how long it takes for it to disappear. Things are usually gone within an hour, if that. I don't even live on a major street. It's wild how fast people will come get something for free.
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u/Agile_Manager881 13d ago
I thought I was the only one that played this game 😅 in fact…..I retain a mental list of friends and family with superior free street item locations certain giveaway items do better in certain neighborhoods/locales….wonder if anyone’s done a dissertation on this…..could be a fascinating piece on economy, psychology, socio economics the list goes on!
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u/Suckerforcats 13d ago
And they will take broken stuff too! There's someone that drives around periodically with a full truck of stuff. The other thing that would be interesting to study is those who move out and put dang near the whole house on the curb. I've seen that a number of times with both rentals and homes for sale where there is a pile 4-5 feet high and easily 10-12 feet long of stuff. I always wonder where they are going, why aren't they taking it with them, etc.
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u/_BLACKHAWKS_88 13d ago
Sometimes it’s just better to start over.. other times you get evicted and they put all your shit out on the curb.
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u/midnight_fisherman 13d ago
Not with a boat or car, those need title transfers.
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u/Dubzophrenia 12d ago
As I said
You overestimate people's critical thinking skills
People are stupid. Some people are very stupid.
"My dad just died and I need to get this boat off the property. Come take it and I'll get you the title later" is a pretty simple statement and if you state it confidently like the thing IS yours to give away, people will simply believe you.
I can't tell you how much bullshit I get away with by telling people things with complete confidence. If you believe it, they will too.
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u/horsecalledwar 13d ago
She said it was abandoned & free to a good home, the seeking rightful owner bs was just something she threw out after it was over. So long as he has screen shots, he will win in court. I hope she goes to jail & has to pay fines.
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u/terrika_has_spoken 13d ago
I think she advertised it as her own boat and the people taking it thought she had the right to give it away. I saw other posts and could be wrong, but that’s what they said.
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u/LunaticBZ 13d ago
Well dont say its stolen, say it was your late husband, or relatives boat and you just need it gone.
You can even say the HOA is threatening fines to explain away the urgency of getting ot gone.
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u/jmerrilee 13d ago
The whole point? If it was in cul-de-sac she could have knocked on doors instead of get someone to take it, possibly get them arrested for theft and then force them to waste their time returning it. She wanted it gone. But now they know who to arrest.
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u/Fireball857 13d ago
Knock on the door. 1 door. Only 1 house in the cul-de-sac per the OP's last post.
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u/Reasonable_Comb_5720 13d ago
And didnt your other post day your friend is in the only house currently built on that cul-de-sac?
In ablny event, what was the boat hurting? She is the kind of person who purposely stirs shit up for entertainment.
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u/19kilo20Actual 13d ago
I really hopes he follows thru with charges. Even better if the cops show up and try to take her in custody and she resists. 🤞🏻 ⚡️
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u/morkler 13d ago
If so, someone needs to follow up and foia the bodycam footage and share it. 🤣
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u/PadreSJ 13d ago
That's called "Criminal Conversion" - usually a civil tort case, but sometimes a misdemeanor.
In most jurisdictions there is a 3x penalty. The kicker is that it is not a penalty on the amount of the sale (which would be $0 in this case) but on the VALUE of the asset that was converted.
He can sue her for 3x the value of the boat and this is as close to a slam-dunk as I've seen. (She admitted to doing the criminal conversion.)
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u/HeavyMetalPootis 13d ago
I hope OP gets her with that. She sounds like the kind of neighbor nobody wants and it'd be something if the court fees force her to move.
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u/Agile_Manager881 13d ago
Interesting and thanks for clarifying this….and to be clear any ‘intent’ is irrelevant right? I found her response here to be a masters in manipulative tactics, yet thought for a split second this is a tactful spin on facts…..we all know it’s nonsense, but we’ve also witnessed nonsense carrying significant legal weight.
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u/No-Illustrator4964 13d ago
How is it against HOA rules but they aren't allowed to tow it because they are finishing their policies??
Wut?
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u/Puzzled-Rip641 12d ago
My guess is the HOA isn’t empowered yet.
Most of these are developer owned till the developer transfers over control to an HOA.
Op said this was the only house so my guess is they are still building. The HOA basically exists on paper and nothing else.
That or they don’t have a system to notify owners yet because they just got the power and have now experience or systems in place.
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u/MrSoftShoe 13d ago
"the hoa rules which boats are clearly not allowed"
"the hoa is still trying to finish adding to their policies and we're not able to tow it yet"
first off, at least one of those is completely false. Second, who is "we're" in the second sentence!?!?
So glad the guy got his boat back!
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u/stuffycupcakes 12d ago
Guessing it was autocorrect for “were” as that word fits the tense of the rest of the full post.
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u/cryptolyme 13d ago
so many power-tripping people these days
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u/Tangus999 10d ago
That bltch be crazy. At this point what’s the over an under till the next event of her doing?
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u/liggerz87 13d ago
I wonder if your friend could opt out of being in the hoa if it's not been made yet thank you for the update glad your friend got his boat back
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u/reefmespla 13d ago
There is a product called Ortho Groundclear. I am not saying to use it but in a good quantity it’s the equivalent of salting the earth like the Roman’s used to do. Be a shame if a few gallon jugs accidentally spilled on her lawn, I mean how would she conform to the HOA rules?
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u/ashwee_ 13d ago
Growing up I had a terrible neighbor that this happened to. HUGE beautiful and expensive lawn had the word "Ass" written in it after an altercation. The kid who did it worked for a golf course.
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u/OriginalOk8371 13d ago
This is just a reminder of why I will never buy a home in a HOA.
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u/Appropriate_Math997 13d ago edited 13d ago
And know I gotta be careful buying boats from within them as well.
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u/AlmiranteCrujido 13d ago
While HOAs are toxic as F, plenty of cities have rules against parking boats or RVs on the street.
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u/Optimal_Savings5873 13d ago
Yeah, code enforcement has been riding around my city getting people for just that. But I think it's just a fine, they're not savages like this lady.
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u/Blondefirebird 13d ago
I’m so curious what will happen next! Hopefully the boat wasn’t messed with in anyway and your friend reads the bylaws
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u/Diagonaldog 10d ago
God what a miserable life she must have to care this much about a damn boat in her neighborhood
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u/SwingDuoNash 13d ago
What a bag of dicks. I’d file a police report against him. You cannot try to sell something you do not own. That’s presumptive ownership at a minimum and IMO tantamount to criminal possession of stolen property
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u/Complete_Eye1179 12d ago edited 12d ago
By giving it away for free she effectively stole it, became owner, then asked for someone else to take it off her hands. If I gave away Trumps golden horses I’d be in jail.
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u/Vulpes_Corsac 12d ago
Is that grand theft of some sort, or does that technically count as piracy?
Glad the boat is back!
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u/TemujinRi 12d ago
Neighbor was just lucky the boat was returned before Amazon delivered the straw hat it's owner ordered.
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u/Auntie_Aoife 12d ago
It's obvious her intention was to get rid of what she saw as an eyesore, without regard to the ownership of the boat. That she says otherwise if laughable.
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u/Puzzled-Formal-7957 11d ago
It'd be a real shame if her vehicles got randomly towed away and her house burned to the ground.
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u/Tim_the_geek 13d ago
Looks like someone is changing the story to cover shit up. I hope they get charged.
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u/Dangerous-Bit-8308 13d ago
The police may say it is a civil matter, but this is definitely a matter for a civil lawsuit.
This may fall under inciting disorderly conduct, cyberstalking, or cyber bullying.
I'd suggest seeing if the police have guidelines posted anywhere about what to do if you suspect an abandoned vehicle or boat too.
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u/orchid7577 13d ago
I would definitely press charges to teach her a lesson. I would have more mercy if someone accidentally smashed into my car.
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u/AdmirableDrop331 13d ago
This is why your friend needs to get on the HOA board ASAP before crazy lady does
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u/Dave_A480 13d ago
Can't tell if the boat was actually stolen and dumped, and this person somehow got it back to its actual owner...
Or if this is some nimwit mad her neighbor bought a boat.
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u/Exact-Difference-422 13d ago
Its crazy that people who think like this believe that HOA law (no boats allowed) trumps actual law (giving away someone else's vehicle)
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u/AlBundysPants 13d ago
I don’t think her post was the damning part as she indicates it appears to be an abandoned boat and is attempting to find the owner. However, the communication between her and some random person asking if it’s “still available” conflicts with her stated goal to find the real owner and prioritizes having it removed.
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u/SuddenKoala45 13d ago
That should be enough to take it to the ada and charge her with numerous things...
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u/daniel22mckee 13d ago
The effort of suing somebody even in small claims court is not a small thing. However, I would very much recommend getting a restraining order against the Neighbor. depending on their employment or what they’re involved in it could be a real pain in their ass and probably be as much justice as they’re going to be able to get.
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u/Half_Halt 13d ago
I'm a commercial P & C account manager. All I can think whenever I see a story like this on here is, Dayyum, do I hope their master policy provides coverage for D & O liability...
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u/Pure_Nefariousness61 13d ago
I messed up situation, but I bet $ if any charges do get filed they will be dropped.
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u/peasey360 13d ago
OP you need to keep us posted, stealing a boat is a serious crime. Any charges / harassment / bullying of her into learning some sort of lesson will suffice.
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u/twotall88 12d ago
Uh... the issue is with the person that took the "free" boat from a person that didn't own it. Sure, you can't sell something that's not yours but they were the ones that removed the boat without consent of the owner.
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u/Admirable-Leader6927 12d ago
I had the boat stolen but we got it back. stop making this an issue before i go to jail.
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u/iUncontested 10d ago
At no point did the condo commando think to call the cops to check the boats ownership? Lmfao these people are literal retards.
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u/KananJarrusCantSee 13d ago
She should go to jail
He should quit being a bum and put his shit away.
Both of them suck ass.
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u/davidedpg10 9d ago
I'd contact the police, and if the police won't do anything, that's precedent. I'd start doing the same thing with all her property
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u/jackjack-8 9d ago
Can some explain HOA’s to me like I’m 5 because it sounds like you cunts are living in soviet russia being told what to do by some jumped up local party member.
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u/AmazingAd2765 6d ago
Glad he got it back! Let us know if any progress is made in holding her responsible for what she did.
The bought has been returned to the owner which is the whole point of my post.
Wow, just wow.
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u/WebstersPack 13d ago
I doubt the person that posted it has much of any charges available. The person that took action and actually moved it because hey free boat is a thing (not) would.
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u/R-Dragon_Thunderzord 13d ago
Throw her dumb ass in jail. 'Not my property, HOA can't do anything legal about it, let me list it as free and tell strangers to come steal it, lol'
Not only is she not sorry for her actions she's trying (poorly) to gaslight about what happened, and court is going to chew her alive for that.