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The Slice: Knock, knock, knockin’ on someone’s door
“I was in my 30s when I got a 2 a.m. knock on the door,” wrote Dennis DeMattia. “Whoever it was kept knocking and knocking and was really persistent.
“So finally (this was 40 years ago) I dragged my (landline) phone into my bathroom, and with the aid of a flashlight, dialed (not punched in, rotary dialed) 911. I told the operator that somebody was banging away on my door, and please send a policeman to shoo them away. The operator got back to me in just a few seconds, and said ‘The person knocking on your door IS a policeman.’ It was.”
The officer wanted to know if Dennis owned a certain car parked out on the street. The vehicle was not his.
Bob Isitt shared this.
“Back when I was single and at home alone I heard knocking on the back door about 11 p.m. All the lights in my home were off except the bedroom light as I was getting ready to hit the sack. I walked down the dark hallway and opened the door to find two big guys looking down at me. I asked what they wanted and they replied they were looking for a lost dog, then left.
“The next morning I was called out of my classroom at Shadle to be told these same two guys had been caught in my home burglarizing it. I guess I was lucky they didn’t attack me the night before.”
Johnny Lee Achziger remembers he had just come home from the hospital in 2001 after being in an accident. Even with crutches, he could barely walk.
“Right at midnight (or so) the doorbell rang. My wife looked out the window and saw a young man rattling the door handle, trying to get in.”
She phoned 911 and was told ringing a doorbell at midnight is not against the law.
Johnny Lee hobbled into the kitchen (where the main entry is) and called through the door, trying to get the guy to go away. He did not leave.
More phoning eventually produced a police response. The young man spoke to the officers and then left.
“The next morning, I went out to get the paper, and there in the bushes near the door was a knife and there were scratches near the doorknob. We called the cops again and one came out and took the knife with him.
“I assume the kid was high on something and probably didn’t even remember anything the next day.”
Today’s Slice question: What is your favorite airport in the West?
Write The Slice at P. O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. Parties attended by lots of (fill in the blank) tend to be a good time.