I moved to South Elgin, Illinois in October. The house which I was renting had severe black mold damage infested inside the walls and crawl space under the entire house. After livng there for several months, and several trips to the doctor and hospital, I started getting too sick to even clean the house or concentrate. I went to the hopsital and found out I had a very serious staph infection called MRSA, and was hospitalized for 4 days and had two surgeries to drain the infection and given the strongest antibiotic known and I survived, but I almost did not make it.
While in the hospital I had a friend from the city come out to the house to let the dogs out and feed them. I told her that the house was in bad shape that I had been so sick. When she came, she was worried about the MRSA being contagious and the house being messy, so she called the South Elgin police. They entered my home without my permission, went through the entire home and the neighbors said they were in my home with the white anti infection suits on. They secured the dogs outside and contacted me telling me that I had to comply with them. WHAT the heck?
I was sick as a dog in the hospital, they entered my home without my permission and had people walking around my home. It was a invasion of my privacy and extremely embarrassing.
There was one officer, a female named officer Pat who stopped by and helped feed my dogs and make sure another friend was feeding them as well. She was very kind and did not treat me like I was some kind of leapor.
They had the health official from their department who gave me two days to clean up the house when I was so sick I could not even stand. I cleaned it up, and was not bothered again for a while.
When I moved two months later because of the mold and my health from the home, I called the health department to report the black mold that the place should not be habitable, the same man from the police station came out and said there was no way to tell if the mold was toxic or not when you could clearly see it growing in the walls and everywhere black under the sheet rock. I asked him if he knew my landlord, that was why he was not doing anything about this and his response was, " I believe I have met him."
I moved up the road a few streets behind the South Elgin police department, thinking this will be the end of the embarrasment of the situation them coming into my home without my persmission, etc. My health started to get better once I was out of there.
Shortly after I moved into the new place, the next door neighbor yelled and threatened me and my small shihtzu because he ran in his yard and pooped when he got out of the car. I was shocked, and went to their front door to appoligize and work things out. It was a middle of a Sunday and I could smell the alcohol on the neighbors breath and her mothers as well, they became very hateful and the old woman threatened me telling me to get out of their porch and raised her hand. I yelled back at them they were crazy drunks and they called the cops.
Officer Nelson came on out and told me that #1 I had a intimidating dog (my german shepherd) and that he heard she had pooped in their yard and also had a squirmish with the neighbors dog over territory (neither dog were on a leash). I told him he was incorrect, the dog who pooped in their yard was a small shihtzu and that the shepherd had nothing to do with this incident. I tried explaining the situation and that I tried talking it out with them, and he would NOT allow me to speak. He continued to YELL at the top of his lungs and get into my face in my front yard. I did not have to put up with that, he was taking sides and disrespecting me in front of my neighbors, not allowing me to even explain what had happened. I told him I would meet him on the porch to discuss this where he continued to repeatedly not allow me to even speak and issued a no leash ticket stating the second time it happened they would send my dog to the pound yelling at the top of his lungs the entire time.
The neighbors continued to dislike me because of having a large dog, and a few months later she got out the door and was running around the park. They came to the door and warned me again, this time a nice but stern officer and I understood and agreed with him. At this time, between the incident at the other house, and these two things at the new house they must have decided not to like me.
Keep in mind, I have never in my 36 years at this point had problems with any neighbors or police and I have lived on my own since I was 17. Seems like some bad luck had hit, and I ticked them off by sticking up for myself. South Elgin police officers started driving past my house more often, and slowing down when they got by my house. I kept the dogs on leashes, and the shepherd on a line so I was not doing anything wrong, but they continued steadily to watch my house. I thought this was bizarre.
I decided to try and help this guy out about a month later and let him stay with me for two weeks, he had been kicked out of his last place. He gave me some money for a few weeks rent and I said I will give it a try. The person quit his job within 3 days of being there, started stealing from me, took the locks off my Lexus tires I guess to try to sell them, and was really acting scary and I realized I made a big mistake. I told him he had to move by the weekend. He would not leave for two more weeks and things got more intense, I was scared and gave him his 200. Oo back one day and said get out in 3 days. He wouldnt budge, and started slamming doors, yelling at me, and getting creepier.
I called the South Elgin police and asked what I could do, and the female officer on the other line took my information and told me that I had to evict him, there was nothing they would do. He had not even been at my house a month. He was not on a lease, and she said since he had a reciept I had written for two weeks that was considered a lease, which I have found out since is not true.
Finally after so much drama, and I was scared to death, I get the guy to move his stuff out one day. But, he leaves one box behind. I told him to call me the next day and tell me when he will get it. A male friend stays on my couch to make sure all is ok. After my friend leaves, I was soaking in the bathtub when this guy comes in yelling at me when I am naked in the bathroom. I am terrified, I can't call the police they won't do anything for me, should I call the state police? I threaten to.
He goes outside and starts circling the house, I am getting more and more scared. He comes in and says, where's my bike? Now, this guy has no job, I find out only gets 300 a month unemployment which is part of why I was asking him to leave along with his crazy behavior and stealing. He has been selling baseball cards he stole from a shop he worked in at another state, and his tv in order to move. I assumed he sold the bike too, he probably did. He keeps saying to me, "let me into the shed." I keep saying no, he was not going to take my bikes and my lawnmower.
He marches up to the South Elgin police station. I run outside, get my bikes put them inside and chain the lawn mower so it cannot be moved. Five minutes later, BANGING on my door is officer Kumsack. He does not ask me if I took the persons bike, he is telling me that I stole it where did I put it. I offer to let him come in and search the house without the guy even though legally I don't even have to. He comes in and does a full check even the basement. He starts yelling at me and getting in my face that I stole the bike what did I do with it? I told him I did not steal anything, and get out of my house. Officer Kumsack goes into the room with my bikes and says, " Whos bikes are these? Did you steal them?" I told him, get out of my house and don't ever come back unless you have a warrant. That guy is a nutcase, he walked into my home when I was naked and your telling me I am a theif. Officer Kumsack goes outside and asks this person what color his bike is, and it was not the same color as either bike I have in the house. Officer Kumsack refuses to leave my home, continues to yell and harrass me while this guy is smirking outside the door. He tells me he is going to find the bike and arrest me, that I went out into the rain and hid this guys bike somewhere that is why I am all wet. I walked officer Kumsack into my bathroom where the bathtub was still drawn and told him this is why I am wet, I was soaking here naked and this person walked into my home. Officer Kumsack tells me he is going to be back to arrest me. I said fine, and get out of my house for the third time knowing very well the bike had probably been sold, he was not going to find any bike and I knew I was not a theif. Officer Kumsack told me they would be having this maniac watching me to see what I was doing. WOnderful, the police are working with a maniac stalker because he tells them I stole his 20.00 bike, unbelievable.
Once he is gone, I called my landlord who had to come out and change my locks. I waited for 6 hours, landlord is totally cool about the situation and changes them out and says he went to high school with the cops he would talk to them and find out what the problem is. When he came back all my landlord would say to me was, usually South Elgin police are very cool unless you " PISS them OFF."
What had I done to piss them off? Had a messy house because I was too sick? Stood up for myself over a neighbor disagreement? Was stupid enough to let someone I barely knew stay with me out of kindness, and then when he stole from me and became hostile I made him leave when he was not on a LEASE, nor stayed with me a month?
The guy continued to stalk me and walk around the park where I lived, stole my water hose outside, broke a window, cut the chain for the dog line. I couldn't even call the South Elgin police to protect me. They also regularly drove by my house still to check on my dogs, if they saw him around doubt they would of done anything. I heard several reports around the neighborhood of the police harrasing them over their dogs also, particularly large dogs. I was also told they expected free food from the local restraunts.
I finally moved as soon as I could afford it in a month and 1/2, and will never in my life
Understand what was wrong with some of the officers in the South Elgin police department, they were bullies, harrased me, and I would have no problem believing reports I have read of them doing crooked things. Some of the officers were nice, but the two mentioned specifically are bad cops. The entire experience has left me weary of the police, and that's a shame because that is what they wanted to do intimidate.
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