Posted on 06/14/2011 6:46:23 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A dog tipped his owner and deputies about an attempted auto burglary in Golden Gate Estates.
Rafael Figueroa, 19, of the 15100 block of Cortona Way, was arrested Monday by Collier deputies at the 15100 block of Cortona Way.
According to a Collier County Sheriff’s office report:
A neighbor reported that his dog began barking so he let him out at which time he discovered an unknown male, later identified as Figueroa, to be sitting inside a vehicle using a flashlight.
When deputies asked Figueroa if he was the owner of the car, he said “no” and that he was just looking in it and wasn’t trying to steal it.
The hood of the car was popped and a small tool was found with the blade portion open sitting on top of the car’s battery along with a corkscrew bottle opener. The car battery’s red cable was detached from the connector.
The cover to some stereo equipment and 10 CDs were removed from the car by Figueroa.
During a search, deputies found a black leather glove stuffed in his sock.
The owner of the car was located and stated that the tools, gloves, and flashlight found did not belong to him.
Figueroa was arrested on charges of burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, possession of burglary tools, and attempted theft under $100.
When I was a kid our dog alerted on a cross dressing, underwear stealing house burglar hitting the house next door.
Cops were already in the area looking for him and it was a quick take down.
My dad owned a gas station that I worked at when I was a teen ager.
He also had a 100+ pound combination wolf/shepherd (that is how I remember him and I am sticking to that story).
On more than one occasion we found broken glass and blood on the floor in the lower bay windows when we opened the station.
Spike had a strict heirarchy:
My Dad=God
Family=Demi-Gods
Workers=Angels
Customers=Fun
Aggressors=Toast
And Mail trucks=HATE! (a Mail truck ran over Spike’s foot when he was a puppy).
One time, one of the (much older and bigger) workers got mad at me (I was 14 I think) and grabbed my arm. Spike grabbed his arm and just dropped to the floor (no blood — Spike was cool that way). Said worker got the point and never messed with me again.
Another time, I was attempting to hook up a rental trailer to some guy who kept giving me a hard time. Eventually, I unhooked everything, slammed the trailer down and told the guy to get the hell off my property.
Well, said “customer” made the mistake of getting out of his car and moving towards me in a menacing way. I yelled “Spike!” and Spike came up, hackles rising making a deep throated growl that almost scared ME! The guy made a move and Spike jumped just a tiny bit.
The next thing I saw was the guys tail lights and what I am sure was the smell of underwear fear.
When my Dad called me 5 years or so later to tell me Spike had passed I think I cried for a whole day. It wasn’t the same as losing Musica, but it was losing a beloved family member.
Good dog
What’s Musica?
If you look at my profile, you will see Musica was my kitty for 25+ years. She passed years ago and I have still never gotten over it. I may never.
Her sister, Neysa, was also in my life for 18 years and my mourning has never stopped for her either.
Musica was extremely special. As with many cats, she didn’t know she was a cat — she thought she was a human AND was born as royalty. I could tell stories forever about her...
But Spike was cool and also a member of the family. My big, bad, buff brother who I could count on.
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