1. I’d have a psych evaluation. If she’s a nutter, well, that’s that. Can’t really force nature.

2. If she’s a straight up druggie, I’d push for at least 1 year in jail.

3. On top of #2, I’d consult a lawyer and sue her in civil court too.

Are they rebuilding NEXT DOOR to the freakazoid?

I would have liked to receive some restitution for damages, but I never believed that I would get any, and I was told by the DA not to expect anything. An apology would have been strangely sufficient for me, but I don’t believe that I will get one of those any time soon. I believe that I need to be the one to extend my forgiveness first to her, if I can find her again, and do that without the expectation of receiving anything from her. It is something I need to do for me, and also for her, to move past the incident, and to possibly encourage her to embrace the help that she is being offered, albeit forcibly through the justice system. I believe that her life is much more important than my couches, or bedroom set, even though if I’m honest, I would much rather have them back than have been handed this life lesson!

Ideally the lady should have been required to do community service, especially since she is unable to make physical ammends, but this is, i think just one of those things that I let go of pretty quickly. What happens to offenders after they are caught is not really tied to the victims wishes at all, and that might be a good thing. There are so many other things to worry about in the rebuilding process, that I just haven’t even given her that much thought. What’s done is done.

If I have learned one thing from this situation, it’s that what goes on in your neighbor house is your business! It can effect you or your family, and change your life completely in as little as a half hour. Pay attention to what is going on with your neighbors, and don’t be shy about calling the cops if you think there is a problem! And by all means, be prepared for a fire, by protecting your important paper work. Fires are amazingly common, so do what you can to be ready - it really took a load off of my mind to know when the house was burning, that all my irreplaceable stuff was safe.

I have to say that the thing that really bothers me the most is just the amount of time it takes to get your life back together after something like this. There are just too many details, and like every main event in your life, what can go wrong, will go wrong! The patience aspect of the process is a speed bump that I keep having trouble getting over -but that’s what prayer, and strong coffee are for right?

I gotta give it up for Jesus, and the LEGAL STIMULANTS….neighbor lady, if you are reading this, next time let’s keep it Starbucks please!!!

@Jon - There were definitely mental issues at play. After thinking about this more, I’m leaning heavily towards years of community service. It would keep her busy and allow her to pay back part of the debt to society.

@Lisa - It burns me up when the person is neither forced to “make it right” or to pay any equivalent penalty.

@Joanne - Very sorry to hear about your situation. I tend to agree with you here - addiction should not excuse you from your actions. I’m not sure if she apologized. Perhaps Amy will read this and weigh in.

I was hit by an uninsured drunk driver who sent me into the opposite lanes, where I was hit by two other cars and sent to the hospital. The driver fled the scene, ditched his car, and tried to escape on foot before police caught him. His punishment? Probation. My Jeep Wrangler was totaled and I still have pain-related issues. The other damaged cars needed thousands of dollars worth of repairs. This driver didn’t have to pay for any of it, and suing him wasn’t worth it because he didn’t have anything. It actually cost me money, because of the deductible and need to buy another car, and to top it all off, all of our insurance rates went up because of this driver–even though none of us were at fault; having any accident statistically put us in a different category. It wasn’t a lot, but still–I had to shop around for a cheaper rate after I received my renewal.

I believe that alcoholism/drug addiction are diseases–I’ve seen it in my own family–but I don’t think being under the influence of drugs or alcohol excuses your behavior. You are responsible for the choices you make, and should be responsible for setting everything right. After everything your sisters-in-law have endured, it’s a slap in the face to see the woman serving probation only. At the very least, she should be doing loads and loads of community service. Did she ever apologize for her actions or the suffering she caused?

That being said, I think the woman should be 100% completely and utterly responsible for repaying every single cent of the damages as well as compensate the victim for her time, efforts, and suffering. With unemployment reaching a four year high, there is undoubtedly a job to be found out there in some form or another.

The financial burden should not be the victim’s. Put the guilty party to work, pay off the damages and make amends.

-Jon

Robin - Yeah - the second fire was over the top. Drugs do strange things to people - and I’m sure it was a combination of anger and drugs that produced this outcome.