Scrap yard owner sentenced to 12 years

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Uncle Buck

New member
This is probably a drive by posting, I am sure the mods will let us know.

I have all kinds of problems about this. It appears from the article that the guy in the junk yard either shot at an unknown "Target", as alleged by the prosecutor, or had a negligent discharge, as alleged by his attorney.

I understand what the guy did was wrong, but there is no blame place on the kids who were trying to rip the scrap yard off.

The family takes no responsibility for the actions of their son. If he had not broken the law he would probably still be alive.

I know this probably reads very harshly, but I am so tired of criminals. I worked very hard until I was forced to retire due to a military injury. I have some nice stuff and it upsets me when I go to one of the barns and find out such and such is missing.

A thief is among the lowest forms of life there is. I do not care if you come from a broken home (I did), if you can not find a job (I would love to work also), or if you were just out having fun. If you take something that does not belong to you and you get hurt in the process, why is it someone else fault?

Maybe the scrap yard was an attractive nuisance?

Anyway, I feel sorry for Mr. Helson. He will lose twelve years of his life in part because some teenagers decided to break the law. He could have handled it better and should have.
 
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Skans

Active member
As far as I'm concerned, the man's a hero. People should have the right to protect their property from thieves. Probably not the first time someone tried to steal stuff from him. It's not like the police would have done a darned thing about it if he had reported the incident.
 
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johnbt

New member
"the kids"

One of them was 42. I think he should be tried for murder.

They all ran and left their buddy after the shot was fired.

The guy hit the kid in the neck with a slug. I wonder how far away he was.

Who knows what happened.
 
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johnbt

New member
Oh, and it wasn't his property. He was not an employee either. He was a book smart guy with limited social skills who the owner let live in a trailer because he had nowhere to go.

John
 
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hartlock

Moderator
Ive worked in salvage business for bout 28 years and
a buddy of mine, in same business, and he shot an a
guy in his yard, at night. The guy went to the hospital
later on that night, but my friend couldnt pick him out of
the line-up, so they had to let him go. Here in Texas, if
someone is burglarizing your car at NIGHT, you can use
lethal force, but if its in the DAYTIME, you cant! :) go
figure!
 
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Stevie-Ray

New member
Uncle Buck said:
The family takes no responsibility for the actions of their son. If he had not broken the law he would probably still be alive.
I know this probably reads very harshly, but I am so tired of criminals. I worked very hard until I was forced to retire due to a military injury. I have some nice stuff and it upsets me when I go to one of the barns and find out such and such is missing.
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I'm right there with you. And I don't really give a rats rear if it reads harshly to some. Maybe they've never been the victim of theft. The it's just stuff, let them have it crowd is becoming increasingly tiresome.
 
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Frank Ettin

Administrator
Skans said:
...People should have the right to protect their property from thieves....
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Stevie-Ray said:
...The it's just stuff, let them have it crowd is becoming increasingly tiresome.
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Nonetheless, if you use lethal force inappropriately, you stand to lose a good deal more than stuff -- as Mr. Helton discovered.
 
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Old Grump

Member in memoriam
On the other hand, Smith, 16, was a talented basketball player who "had everything going for him," the judge said. But he hadn't thought about the possible consequences of his actions and what he had to lose before entering H&R Scrap Metal at 9000 W. Fond du Lac Ave., Sankovitz said.

"Many accidents could be avoided if people thought about what could happen.
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Hey judge, listen up, his basketball talents did not make him a worthy person, his thieving actions classified him. Lighten up already, he was a thief who paid the ultimate price. If it was such a harmless endeavor they wouldn't have had to sneak in at night trying to avoid detection. Its what thieves do and he was old enough to know better.

DA wanted the shooter to get 25 years, the judge gave him 12, if justice is to be served they would vacate that and send the shooter to a rehab facility where he can get his head together and learn to live a little better in society. He has the right to be a loner but in the middle of a crowded area and living like a hobo in a wreck of a trailer with no heat or water means somebody should have been looking out for his welfare.

On the other hand at least now he will have clean clothes, clean bedding, hot showers, and warm meals.
 
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Alaska444

Moderator
I read the prior thread on this issue and the related articles. Sounds like they executed this creep who was trying to hide from them when they shot. That is plain and simple murder in my opinion. I don't call folks like him a hero.
 
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Chris_B

New member
Nonetheless, if you use lethal force inappropriately, you stand to lose a good deal more than stuff -- as Mr. Helton discovered.
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There are stations between the stops, if you remember radios with big faces and knobs. Killing somebody is not the only alternative when faced with seeing your property damaged or stolen, obviously
 
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4runnerman

New member
Im with most posts in here. It is time the law becomes what it was intended to be (Law to protect the innocent). A criminal is a criminal period. The bad guys get more rights than the innocent these days. It's appaling what this country is coming to. Maybe a big bad dog would have done as well. Saw a sign hanging on a fence of a very nice house last year,,Read,,( My dog can make it from the house to the fence in 2 seconds,,Can you) I kinda had to chuckle when i read that one.
 
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Frank Ettin

Administrator
4runnerman said:
Im with most posts in here. It is time the law becomes what it was intended to be (Law to protect the innocent)....
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Fine, write your legislators. Our system provides mechanisms by which the body politic can try to get the law changed.

But until such time as the law does change, if it ever does, we will need to live with it as it is. So it behooves those of us who keep guns for self defense to know and clearly understand what the law is, what the law allows and how to conform our actions to what is permitted under the law as it now is. To the extent someone fails to do that, he might also wind up in prison like Mr. Helton.
 
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bailey bud

New member
There's a similar case going through civil court in the Colorado Springs area.

Police refused to file criminal charges - but the "victim's" family is taking the case to civil court.

Plaintifs point to the type of firearm employed in the act of shooting the "victim."

Defendant says Colorado supports "make my day."
 
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Sigasaurus Rex

New member
On the other hand at least now he will have clean clothes, clean bedding, hot showers, and warm meals.
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This is true, yet he will also have to live among very evil men where he will have to fight every day to keep himself somewhat safe. I would take the run down trailer in the scrap yard over prison any day of the week. But I guess we all become prisoners of the decisions we make...
 
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Alaska444

Moderator
Sorry, sounded like the same thread. I read the link and they didn't go into a lot of details. Unless they threatened his life in some manner, then most states except TX don't allow lethal force for property.
 
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Stevie-Ray

New member
Fine, write your legislators. Our system provides mechanisms by which the body politic can try to get the law changed.
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Oh, I do-constantly. Evidently, so do many others and it appears it's not falling on deaf ears, except maybe in the state of Illinois. Witness the growth of shall issue and stand your ground, amongst others, over the years. What I want to know is how we let liberals take over the criminal justice system in the previous years-how the HELL did we let it get so far away from us?
 
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Doug11606

New member
B.S. Had everything going for him

Certainly Mr. Helton was no pillar of the community. Just a thought, how many times do you hear of a group of young teenagers turning on an innocent citizen especially the homeless. If the aspiring athlete and his friends had turned on this man in the middle of the night alone in this junk yard and killed him the most they would have received is juvenile detention till age 21. I for one am sick and tired of hearing the family say the perpetrator was just getting his life on track or turned around. BS he would not have been there.
Live a gangster life die a gangster death. The most Mr. Helton should have received was negligent homicide due to the fact he could not prove his life was threatened.
Sorry to all I may have offended just calling it like I see it.
 
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