Manhunt Wednesday

It started around 5:30 a.m. when I awoke to the loudest boom of thunder I've heard in my life. I literally sleep through hurricanes and tornadoes, and this had me hopping straight up out of the bed as soon as I heard it. I got up and unplugged my computer and new TV (not taking any chances with the luck I've had over the last couple of years) and after listening to the storm for a while, I went back to sleep.

And I thought that would be the most excitement I had today.

Around 9 a.m., I woke up again, took the dogs out, threw on some clothes and headed up to my parents' house. Today's plan was to go run a few errands for myself and my mom, and then go back to my parents' to do some work. I've been cleaning out my mom's "craft room" for the last few weeks, and I've been spending a few hours there every day when I have nothing else going on. Today was supposed to be one of those days.

Let me back up and say I live about half a mile from my parents, on a tiny, private road off their road. My parents have lived in that house for as long as I've been alive, and my grandfather is next door. My road only has a few residences on it: mine, my landlord's, my landlord's in-laws, their daughter, and another house they rent out, plus my dad's brother and sister's houses, which are behind my parents' and grandfather's houses. In other words, we all know each other in this little area. Confused?

So, I'm getting ready to leave my mom's house, and we hear a siren on my parents' road. It's rare for a police car or ambulance to go down my parents' road (there are less than 20 houses on it), but with the weather as bad as it's been all morning, my mom said she'd been hearing sirens all day. We thought nothing of it, but I went out to get in the car and the local crime scene van drives by. I thought that was a little odd. It's one thing to see a patrol car, but the crime scene van? Did someone get killed? They were going really slow, so I walked down to the mailbox hoping I could talk to them or figure out what they were doing, but they stopped and talked to my parents' neighbor. I sat in my car for a few minutes and noticed several other law enforcement vehicles coming down the road, as well as several that were already lining the street down towards my road. I went in and told my mom, and she called my landlord (they're good friends) to see if she knew what was going on.

The thing that had me slightly worried, aside from the number of law enforcement vehicles, was the mixture of vehicles. We do not live within the city limits, but there were city police as well as county deputies, detectives in unmarked cars, the crime scene unit, and numerous other types of vehicles. I actually used to work in law enforcement here, so I kind of had an idea of what's what, and that sort of mixture usually meant something pretty bad.

Anyway, after sitting in my car in my parents' driveway, I noticed several of the cars were starting to turn down my road. This had me a little freaked out. I don't call my little house in the woods the "Unabomber Cabin" for nothing. It's somewhat hidden in the trees and maybe even a little deserted looking. I decided it was time to drive down and check it out.

I turned down my road and the first thing I saw was a detective sitting in an unmarked car, so I pulled up beside her and rolled down my window. I asked if it was okay for me to keep going, and she said yes, and I asked her if she could tell me what was going on. She told me a guy had escaped from a deputy and was on the loose in this area. She told me what he was wearing and if I saw him to call 911. I asked if he was armed, and I'm pretty sure she thought I'd been watching too much First 48, but she told me she didn't think so.

I kept going, and I soon realized, there were cops in every little nook and cranny on my little wooded road. They were in my landlord's driveway and all of her family's driveways. There were several of them up in this little field above my house where my landlord's in-laws plant vegetables. There was one sitting just at the edge of my driveway, but I pulled in anyway. I sat in the car for a while, because I wasn't really sure what to do. I just knew if I got out of the car, some maniac was going to come up and put a gun to my head or something.

I finally decided I must look suspicious to all of the cops sitting in my direct line of vision, so I got out of the car, and I started to walk to my door, but my mom called me. I was going to tell her what the detective had told me, but she'd already talked to someone else who told her the same thing.

"Do you know where he's supposed to be?" I asked her.

"Well, they say he was last seen on the blah blah blah," she said.

Let me back up again. Without going into too much detail, because I'm paranoid like that, the "blah blah blah" is something that's in my front yard. Right in my front yard. I was standing just feet from it at that very moment she said that. I nearly passed out right then and there.

I hurriedly made my way to the house, fumbled with my keys and went inside. I am bad about not double checking the locks when I go to my parents' house, and I was hoping and praying I'd locked them all. I also have a window that doesn't lock, and while I keep a piece of wood jammed in it, an extremely thin person could easily slide in if they really wanted to. Granted, they'd tear up half of the electronics I own, but it could happen. Also, I usually keep my TV on when I'm not home, but because of the weather, I'd left it unplugged, AND all of the light-bulbs in my living room are blown (one reason I was running errands).

So, I walk into this dark, quiet, possibly unlocked house, and I ducked into the first room after you walk in this particular door (which just so happens to be the bathroom). I listened to make sure no one was walking around, and I looked around for something to use as a weapon should it come to that. I've been talking about getting a new gun lately, and oh, how I wish I would have had it right then, but I had to settle for a can of hairspray. (Don't judge me.)

I walked down the hall a little ways and glanced in my bedroom. Unless he was hiding in my closet, he was not there. I didn't see anyone in the living room, but without completely turning a corner, I wouldn't be able to see into the kitchen. Also, there was the whole upstairs to contend with, but I decided I'd leave that be. I was just about to check the kitchen when I encountered a really strong whiff of cigarette smoke. I don't smoke, and I don't let anyone smoke in this house. My landlord (who is across the street from me) does smoke, and when it's windy, I sometimes get a little scent of it, but this was really strong. I thought: that fool is hiding in my house, smoking, and I'm going to die.

Instead of going any further inside, I glanced at all the doors to make sure they were locked, and I ran back to the door I came in, hairspray in hand, ready to spray anyone in my path right in the eyes. I locked the door and walked quickly to my car (I though running would look a little suspicious to all of the police officers in the area, especially considering some of them appeared to have their guns drawn).

I got back in the car and debated driving back to my mom's house or just sitting there for a while, when suddenly, I heard some shouting and all the law enforcement vehicles started to drive back up my road. I was surprised to see that there had been way more than I first realized; they seemed to come from all over the woods. After I was sure they were all gone, I gave them a minute and left too. Somewhere along the way, my mom called to tell me they'd caught the guy. I never could figure out where they caught him exactly, but I think he was in the field where my landlords' in-laws' garden is. Just feet from my house...

From what I understand, someone had been trying to serve a warrant on a guy in a house on a nearby road, and the guy took off from another door in the house. Fun stuff.

So, that was my little bit of drama in the woods. I'm exhausted from the little adrenaline surge, but it made for an interesting day. It also kind of made me miss my old job, especially considering that I'm unemployed, but that's a whole other blog post!