Police Action In Cobblestone Manor

The Colonel and I both have birthdays the last week of July. Instead of buying each other presents every year, we usually choose something we both want and get it for our birthday "present" to each other. This year we opted for a police scanner.

Since the last week of July we have been listening to our scanner. We now know we live in a much higher crime ridden community than we previously thought. But, last night, the scanner really paid off. The criminals were in our neighborhood.

At about 12:15AM this morning, the Colonel and I were both awakened to the sound of police sirens very close to our home. We immediately turned on the scanner to find out police were on foot chasing possibly four armed and dangerous suspects inside our small gated community.

As the story goes, two males aged 18 and 19 were shot to death about midnight last night several miles from where we live. A Modesto Police officer spotted the vehicle suspected in the shooting and gave chase. Occupants of the vehicle fired on Modesto Police officers during this chase. As the chase came closer to our neighborhood, several suspects jumped from the truck and fired on police officers as they fled on foot. The suspect vehicle was cornered on the street behind our neighborhood. The driver was arrested at the vehicle.

Since 12:15AM, the Colonel and I have listened to the scanner and the police search helicopter overhead, as we also listened for any unusual noises outside. Our doors and windows were locked, police were all over our neighborhood. We even saw the Modesto Police SWAT unit drive by our home with lights out about 3AM.

A police perimeter was set up which included my neighborhood. The helicopter stated it looked like a really good perimeter with no holes. Shortly after the foot pursuit began, the suspects made it into one of the houses inside our gates where they allegedly took a machete. The cowards ran out the back door and jumped fences before police could capture them.

All night long the police held the perimeter as the Modesto SWAT team went house to house and yard to yard searching for the suspects as the helicopter searched from overhead. About 4AM the first suspect was found hiding in a back yard of a home inside our neighborhood in a cardboard box. At about 5AM, we received a call from the Stanislaus County Office of Emergency Services. This was a recorded call to let us know police were searching our neighborhood for armed and dangerous suspects. To remain indoors with doors and windows locked unless asked by the police to do otherwise.

It would be daylight before the next suspect was found hiding next to a dough boy pool in the backyard of a home just outside of Cobblestone Manor. A few minutes later another suspect was found hiding in debris in a back yard.

About 8AM, the Modesto Police and supporting agencies from all around Stanislaus County broke down the largest part of their perimeter. There is still one area under "lock-down" as police search for a possible fifth suspect.

Although there is truly no humor in any if this story, we did find a bit in the behaviour of Mollie the Mini-Schnauzer. Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, the Colonel and I decided we should be prepared just in case we needed to leave our home. So we dressed and put our shoes on. Of course we would never think of leaving Mollie, so we put her collar on and had her leash ready, just in case. Well, Mollie in all of her wisdom and conditioning, decided shoes and collar meant it was time to go for her morning walk. Poor little dog, kept going to the front door and standing there waiting on someone to take her for a walk. I am not sure she understood it could be dangerous outside. We had no intention of walking her under those conditions.

If you would like to read more about what went on in Cobblestone Manor last night, go to http://twitter.com/pdfrazier. I was "tweeting" on Twitter all night long. Although I really enjoy and value Twitter, this was surely a first for me.

In the end, the Modesto Police did a fabulous job of keeping us safe and methodically persevering to find the bad guys. They are still checking suspicious people leaving the area.

At times during the night, it was scary. Mostly, I was angry. Angry because a group of ignorant, stupid, gun-toting gang bangers whose alleged previous actions show they have little if any value for life, turned my small, quiet, peaceful, safe little gated community into a military war zone. I find no purpose in gangs. I find no purpose in those who do not value life. What purpose is there in joining a group of thugs? I do not like these people in my neighborhood. I cannot understand how anyone would want to be involved in such a destructive life-style. You end up dead or in prison. What's the point?

As I type, both the Colonel and Mollie are snoring. Mollie will get her walk when she wakes up. I think I'll start taking my cell phone on our walks. I guess I don't feel as safe in our little gated community as I did yesterday.

It was a very long night in Cobblestone Manor.

A couple of related links to this story:
The Modesto Police Department's notification: http://local.nixle.com/alert/229229/
The Modesto Bee (our local newspaper) story: http://www.modbee.com/featured/story/835951.html

What's Been Going On?

Welcome back. It has been more than six months since I have posted here. Thank you for continuing to check and follow.

I do not have a really good excuse for not writing. All I can say is something happened last year when Drew died. I spent so much time taking care of that little black dog. I wrote while she slept. She slept most of the time. I was always aware of where she was and listening for her to awaken. Somehow, during this time, I think my writing became tied to her. When we lost her, I think my writing became part of that sadness.

Losing Drew after 18 years was extremely difficult. Indescribable. Yes, I know she was a dog. I cannot describe the guilt I have felt because I mourned this little dog more than I mourned some of the human friends and family in my life. Some time ago, I would miss her for days. Now, I miss her in moments, but there is rarely a day that goes by when I don't think about her.

A year ago a new four-legged friend came into our lives. Mollie the Miniature Schnauzer is everything Drew, in her old age, was not. Mollie is active, happy and the sweetest little dog in the world. In our household, it's hard to get up sad, tired or in a bad mood when you have this little silver dog wagging her whole body to greet you "Good Morning."

With the exception of the past year, I have been writing all of my life. Now, I am ready to write again.