I applied a deterrent to my firewood. Those are two separate facts. She said, "I'm going to call the police." I said, "That's your right. When you do, you should be aware that I have 468 photographs documenting your removal of my firewood over 11 months, a documentation log showing $1,236 in cumulative value, two written requests that you stop, and an HOA board finding that your activity constitutes a community standards violation."
She looked at the wood in her hands. She set it on my porch railing. She said, "You've been setting me up." I said, "I've been documenting your theft of my property for 11 months. Today you experienced the deterrent I applied to my property to protect it from further theft.
Those are different things." She left. She did not call the police. She called her attorney. Her attorney called Leonard the following morning.
Leonard called me that afternoon and said, "Karen's attorney has reviewed the documentation." I said, "And?" He said he used the phrase overwhelming. He asked whether you would be willing to resolve this through direct restitution and a formal acknowledgement. I said, "What terms?"
He said, "Full restitution at the documented market value, a formal written acknowledgement that the wood was taken without permission and constituted theft under Colorado statute, and a commitment in writing to have no further access to my property without invitation." I said, "That's what I've wanted since month two." He said, "I know. It took 11 months and treated oak to get there." The resolution was completed in 3 weeks.
Karen's attorney and Leonard negotiated the specific language. The restitution was $1,236, the full documented value—not a negotiated reduction—because the documentation was comprehensive enough that there was nothing to negotiate about. The written acknowledgement was the part that took longest. Karen's attorney wanted softer language. Leonard held firm on language that reflected what the camera footage showed.
After four rounds of revisions, the acknowledgement stated that Karen Whitmore Aldridge had removed firewood from Valentina Reyes' property on numerous occasions without permission, that this removal constituted theft under Colorado Revised Statute 18-4-401, and that the conduct would not be repeated. She signed it. The HOA board received a copy for the terms of the resolution. Marcus Webb called me after he received it. He said, "468 photographs."
I said, "468." He said, "And 11 months." I said, "I document things. It's what I do." He said, "The deterrent compound."
I said, "A commercial wildlife deterrent applied to my own property. Garrett confirmed it was non-toxic before I used it." He was quiet for a moment. "Your husband confirmed the non-toxicity of the compound you planned to apply to firewood you expected someone to steal." I said, "He's a wildlife biologist.
He knows the compounds." Another pause. "You and your husband are an interesting couple." I said, "We manage a cattle ranch. We solve problems."
He said, "I see that." Karen did not come to my door after the resolution. Her husband Richard came in the second week after the agreement was signed. He was a quiet architect who had been largely absent from the situation and who had the specific quality of a man who had recently reviewed 11 months of documentation and understood the full scope of what his wife had done. He said, "I didn't know it had gotten to this point."