School Marm LIES from the St Pete Times
See what I mean???
Home alone, Westchase teen alerts parents to burglary in progress
By Dong-Phuong Nguyen, Times Staff Writer In Print: Saturday, January 30, 2010
Story Tools
Email Article
Contact the editor
Print this story
Comment on this story
Email Newsletters
Purchase reprints
$(document).ready(function() {
$('#tpc-email-story-holder').html('').append(
$('').attr('href','#').html('Email Article').bind('click', function() { tpc.emailArticle(); })
)
});
Social Bookmarking
yahooBuzzArticleHeadline = "Home alone, Westchase teen alerts parents to burglary in progress";
yahooBuzzArticleSummary = "Home alone and hiding, a teen texts Dad as thieves strike. WESTCHASE — Jon Pich was on his way home with sandwiches earlier this week when he received a text message from his 15-year-old son, Slader, who was home sick:";
yahooBuzzArticleCategory = "";
yahooBuzzArticleType = "text";
yahooBuzzArticleId = window.location.href;
Buzz up!
ShareThis
ADVERTISEMENT
.stepcarousel {
position: relative; /*leave this value alone*/
border: 5px solid white;
overflow: hidden; /*leave this value alone*/
width: 270px; /*Width of Carousel Viewer itself*/
height: 120px; /*Height should enough to fit largest content's height*/
}
.stepcarousel .belt {
position: absolute; /*leave this value alone*/
left: 0;
top: 0;
}
.stepcarousel .panel {
float: left; /*leave this value alone*/
overflow: hidden; /*clip content that go outside dimensions of holding panel DIV*/
margin: 5px; /*margin around each panel*/
width: 100px; /*Width of each panel holding each content. If removed, widths should be individually defined on each content DIV then. */
}
Featured
Buried Body ID'd As Missing Fla. Lottery Winner
Faith Helped Travolta Through Son's Death
Shark bites graded on Trauma Scale
New Audiotape From Osama Bin Laden
President Barack Obama at Tampa presidential town hall
9/11 Terror Trials Could Be Moved From NYC
Man Kills NY Woman; Rips Out Heart and Lungs
Haiti Struggles to Stop Looting
President Obama arrives in Tampa for town hall meeting
Embattled Obama Declares in Speech: I Don't Quit
Apple Unveils Long-awaited iPad Tablet
Plant City search linked to missing Florida Lotto winner
Raw video: Tampa car fire
CBS May Air Controversial Tebow Ad
Mission of mercy
Gasparilla Children's Parade
Facebook Page Bashes Teacher, Students Punished
Tear Gas Fired at Hungry Haitian Crowds
'Avatar' Still Tops Weekend Box Office
Gary Coleman Arrested on Utah Warrant
Medication Stolen From Wyo. Cancer Kid
Ethiopian Jetliner Crashes; 90 on Board
Saints Headed to Their First Super Bowl
Haiti to Ramp Up Relief Efforts As Rescues End
Bin Laden Claims Airline Bomb Responsibility
Thonotosassa home damaged by tornado
Raw Video: Sean Penn Lends a Hand in Haiti
Sky Surprise: Meteorite Drops Into Clinic
Bucs awards NFL Play60 winners
Haitian refugees rescued by Angel Flight
Report: Woods Getting Treated for Sex Addiction
A soldier's final homecoming
Whooping cranes arrive
Bay area honors MLK's legacy
Cross City's loss
Prominent doctor missing after fire
Convicted murderer sings to jurors
Tampa firefighters head to Haiti
Man accused in rapes testifies
Bay area Haitians pray for victims
I-4 lane closure continues to snarl traffic
Despite freeze, Kumquat Festival will go on!
Neuro synthetic conduction therapy
Leavitt says he will fight to get USF coaching job back
Sinkhole opens up beneath Plant City mobile home
Leavitt fired as USF coach
Mother drives with son clinging to SUV
Rare stork born at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo
Girl, 11, and boyfriend plotted to set mother on fire
Deer runs into East Lake Publix
First day of freedom
10-foot gator captured on Palm Harbor patio
Cody Goes Home
Tampa Breeze loses lingerie football debut
Tampa Breeze ready for lingerie home opener
Clearwater woman bitten but escapes alligator
John Graziano is released from hospital 2 years after crash
Tampa Breeze holds lingerie football scrimmage
Florida panther strolls down the boardwalk
$(document).ready(function() {
tpcv.slider('2652468001');
});
WESTCHASE — Jon Pich was on his way home with sandwiches earlier this week when he received a text message from his 15-year-old son, Slader, who was home sick:
call police
Pich wondered: Was this a prank?
The family lives in a nice neighborhood. The house has an alarm system, but he hadn't set it. Soon, another text followed:
dont come home
A minute later:
hurry theyre taking everything
Slader, a freshman at Alonso High School, sent the texts while hiding behind a sectional sofa and an artificial plant as two men rifled through the home just before noon Monday, according to the family and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Slader was unharmed, but the Piches offer their story as a reminder to homeowners to lock their doors and be alert.
"It's easy to feel complacent and safe," said Lisa Pich, who was showing her second-grade class at Westchase Elementary School the weather on her cell phone when her son texted her. "Now we feel extremely violated."
On Monday, Slader had stayed home from school with a stomachache and a sore back from a weekend soccer game. About 11:30 a.m., his dad, a partner for a consulting firm who was working at home that day, went to Subway to grab sandwiches for lunch.
Minutes after Pich left, someone repeatedly rang the doorbell and beat on the front door. Slader continued to play video games. After about five minutes, he peeked out from behind a wall but did not recognize the man he saw through the glass in the door.
He ran upstairs to the family's media room to grab his cell phone so that he could ask his dad whether the pest control people were coming that day.
He was about to dial his dad's number when he heard the garage door open. He immediately jumped behind a sectional sofa and an artificial palm tree.
Footsteps raced up the stairs. Slader turned his phone to silent and sent the first text to his dad. He breathed as lightly as he could as a man grabbed a laptop from a desk about 4 feet away from where Slader was crouched.
"I wasn't terrified. I was just a little shocked," the 5-foot-3 teenager recalled. "I was praying he wouldn't turn around and see me."
The man took the laptop downstairs. Then Slader heard men shout instructions to each other to check all the rooms. Slader continued to text his dad. Then he heard one of the men say, "We have to go!"
Slader climbed out of a window and onto a rooftop. From there, he texted his mom. Meanwhile, Jon Pich, had arrived home to find a newer model white Dodge Charger parked in the street, its engine running.
Fearing for his son's life, he grabbed a baseball bat from the garage and ran toward the front of the house. Before he got to the front door, it swung open. Two men carrying $3,000 worth of stuff — laptops, an Xbox and a TV — looked at Pich, shocked.
They stared each other down for several seconds before Pich yelled at them to put the items down and leave peacefully.
The men ran to the car with their loot and peeled out backward for half a block so that Pich could not see their license plate number.
Pich hopped into his car and tried tailing them but lost them. Then he rushed home and found his son on the roof.
Father and son hugged before deputies arrived moments later. The Sheriff's Office sent up a helicopter but was unable to find the car, authorities said.
According to sheriff's officials, both men were between 22 to 29 years old, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and 160 pounds. One man was black and wore a black coat. The other was white, possibly Hispanic, wearing a black sweat shirt.
"Slader was very brave," Lisa Pich said. "He made every decision right that day."
Sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter suggests that people call 911 immediately when anyone tries to break into a house.
"Turn on a radio, something that they can hear that would make them believe someone was in the house," Carter said. "But get the police on the phone first."
The Piches sat down and talked about the tips they'd pass along: Teach children how to use the panic button on the alarm system. Make sure visitors know someone is home. And educate children about what to do under different scenarios.
"I don't want to live in fear. I don't want my kids to live in fear," Lisa Pich said. "But we have to be smarter."
Dong-Phuong Nguyen can be reached at (813)909-4613 or nguyen@sptimes.com.[Last modified: Jan 29, 2010 11:00 PM]
1069272
article
2d827de8-cf50-4f6b-bb07-c36574da8d39
Have your say...
View our commenting guidelines. Read our report abuse policy.
You have 1000 characters remaining.
Your comment has been posted.
There are 40 commentsNewest FirstOldest FirstTop Rated
vennmaster wrote:
hey suebee, ummmm nope, it says the dad arrived home fearing for his son's life. The whole thing is contrived. They sat around trying to fill in all the blanks and still came out like loser, lying assholes which they ummm ARE.
Jan 30th, 2010 11:44 AM
10Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
vennmaster wrote:
ALL the comments here were disparaging before I got here but embersloser jumps right on me. he da man. (ummm not) rofl
oooh embersloser, coming from you ... wow, did you graduate from hillsbrother high school??? Cause man, knowing you think poorly of me makes me feel on top of the world, nowhere man.
Jan 30th, 2010 11:42 AM
10Report Abuse
sugarme wrote:
gator501, LAUGHING MY FINE ●●● OFF AT YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!
Jan 30th, 2010 11:40 AM
10Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
scoops wrote:
911 needs to have a manner of being silent.. too many times being silent is JUST as impt in saving a life as the very call itself...if there ISD a silent way to contact 911 and have them respond in like someone pls let us know...this kid did what he thought to do first and called his dad...nothing wrong w/that!!!
Jan 30th, 2010 9:52 AM
00Report Abuse
gator501 wrote:
Slader you were smart to not call 911 when you were four feet away from the intruders! I think you did the right thing!
Jan 30th, 2010 9:19 AM
21Report Abuse
Your vote has already been saved
gator501 wrote:
why are you crazy people assuming the dad did not call the police? Although the article doesn't specify that he did make the call, it does say ".... the police arrived..". Let's not bash people down - instead look for the positive lessons we can all learn from this and share with our kids to make our homes more safe!! Kudos to the Pichs, they are good people. Insurance scam is a ludicrous statement made by people who are ignorant.
Jan 30th, 2010 9:13 AM
11Report Abuse
Your vote has already been saved
suebee wrote:
The kid didn't want the intruders to know he was there, so used silent communication- sounds reasonable to me, just too bad there is no silent 911. Since was communicating, Dad knew he was OK, and knew to approach home with caution. Why are people saying did not call police? The article states that deputies arrived moments later. As fas as the alarm- how many times do you run out "just for a minute" and not bother with it?- especially if there is someone else home. Mine is not set during the day when the kids will be running in and out. I find no fault here, other than the fact that using a cell requires that you be able to tell the 911 operator where you are, and cannot call them silently.
Jan 30th, 2010 7:13 AM
12Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
The Ultimate Authority wrote:
5 foot 8 and 160 pounds? I would have introduced them both to a little "Louisville Slugger justice"....
Jan 30th, 2010 7:02 AM
20Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
emberswzd wrote:
vennmaster you sound like a real pathetic version of paranoid white trash.... But then again there is always someone like you in every situation.
Jan 30th, 2010 6:43 AM
01Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
emberswzd wrote:
All I want to read is when they catch this garbage. If it were my house them sobs would have only heard the sound of a glock chambering a round, a boom, then lights out. No warnings, no stop or i will shoot and I will not shoot to injure. Come into our home and the grim reaper will come calling on you slime balls. Dad, teach your son to shoot...
Jan 30th, 2010 6:41 AM
11Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
yougottabekidding wrote:
Is is possible to text 911? If not why not?
Jan 30th, 2010 6:25 AM
20Report Abuse
yougottabekidding wrote:
Let me guess. Two bags of dirt out on parole.
Jan 30th, 2010 6:19 AM
00Report Abuse
vennmaster wrote:
Hey, if THIS creepy, fabricted story made front page AGAIN AND AGAIN due to number of comments then why isnt' the US attorney story constantly up there ?? It's even buried in google. http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/article1067883.ece?postCode=201
Probably has a meth lab, too not just a grow house. R O F L. Trendy, dad.
Jan 30th, 2010 6:12 AM
11Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
vennmaster wrote:
funny the other gangster who tried to run htis story by me was also a SCHOOL MARM. Another one without a degree..... I didn't read the rest of the comments first but now am glad that everyone else saw how stupid this story was. It's because it's MADE UP !!!Look for Stephen Michael Baxley he's got tons of scum friends. OH and just realized the husband of the story telling schoolmarm is also SOME TYPE OF CONSULTANT. Got all that on video too from the car cam. Interesting.
Jan 30th, 2010 5:59 AM
11Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
vennmaster wrote:
right no plate number. how convenient. L M A O this story reminds me of dusky love over on regnas Great imagination but still wide open holes here. In other words, REAL people in Tampa: BE VEWY AFWAID. What kind of father would not CALL POLICE??????????? What kind of father would think that was a prank?? Are you fo real dad?
Jan 30th, 2010 5:55 AM
12Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
vennmaster wrote:
imagine that .. mom schoolteacher. CORRUPT. This is a non-believe story. GONG. Is the dad a firefighter or what job allows him to float around such??? LMAO
Jan 30th, 2010 5:40 AM
23Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
Flight42 wrote:
Trust in Karma.....they will try this again sometime and find a home owner home......armed and waiting... Only hope owner has guts to shoot first and ask questions later.
Jan 30th, 2010 3:04 AM
30Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
Mitch045 wrote:
I'll agree with some of you who said they were not prepared for this, as for the Insurence scam! not for 3k, both parents work and live in a nice neighborhood and their deductable is more than likely 2-5k so they can keep their premiums down. I do have to give this young man some kudos he thought of his dad walking in on these two and not his self which indicates this family is close, But always call 911 first and then text dad.
Jan 30th, 2010 2:30 AM
02Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
Zanne wrote:
Okay, all you lightning fast responders - how many times have YOU had to act FOR THE FIRST TIME in a crisis? Lots of people freeze, particularly kids who are old enough to know fear. That's why role playing is important. This boy did fine. His dad saw he was okay, so he did what most people would do and tried to get some I.D. on the thieves. The one thing I'd NOT have done, was question if my kid was punking me. My kids wouldn't pull a prank like that. They know some things just aren't funny.
Jan 29th, 2010 10:40 PM
81Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
chet wrote:
Is it possible to dial 911 and send a text message?
Jan 29th, 2010 10:37 PM
40Report Abuse
cesspool wrote:
'stay at home consultants' aren't paid to thinnk on their feet - they're paid to press the flesh, get taxpayer dollars funneled out, like that airport rent scam w/Moffitt - no 9-1-1 = probably had a grow house in the basement
Jan 29th, 2010 10:25 PM
36Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
cesspool wrote:
nice 'plug' for Subway, and yes, what a moron not to call 9-1-1 to start - weird kid
Jan 29th, 2010 10:19 PM
47Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
VacantSea wrote:
Not knowing if his son was alright, he tried to chase the robbers. What type of parent is this? He should've said, screw the stuff it can be replaced and gone looking for his son. Very fishy to me.
Jan 29th, 2010 9:24 PM
310Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
bandit1 wrote:
Observer, excellent points. I smell an insurance scam. Dad leaves door unlocked, no alarm set, and failure to call 911. It's called NEGLIGENCE. I'm sure the insurance company will be asking these questions. The father also has a baseball bat. I wonder why he didn't use it when the thugs had their hands full. At least no one took the sandwiches.
Jan 29th, 2010 8:31 PM
37Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
TatCat wrote:
How far would they have gone with their loot if dad had taken the keys....
Jan 29th, 2010 8:31 PM
60Report Abuse
MentosMan727 wrote:
They really couldn't have made it any easier for the thieves. Ignoring the front door. Not setting the alarm. Failure to call the police. There was enough time for the dad to get home, so obviously, enough time for cops to get there. Good job, now your property will be sold to fund some trash's oxycodone habit.
Jan 29th, 2010 8:24 PM
42Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
maxwell wrote:
So I take it the Dad never bothered to call Police as the son asked? The kid did everything he could, the Dad did not.
Jan 29th, 2010 7:59 PM
72Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
stockae wrote:
Solution: .357 Magnum
Jan 29th, 2010 7:41 PM
102Report Abuse
OBSERVER wrote:
Im sorry to be cynical, but REALLY? Son doesnt call 911..dad doesnt call 911 sees a truck with the engine running and doesnt take a tag number or the keys, let alone block the truck. But he does remember to take the bat out...and when confronted with robbers with their hands full... asks them to leave peacefully not knowing if his son is alright. As they run by him he doesnt take a swing at the men carrying the goods...but then decides to follow them around and loses them. HMMMMM didnt a kid get reported flying off in a balloon recently? Im sorry...but this doesnt ring right. If he had followed through on at least one of those actions..I would believe this story. The method of how they got the garage door to open also intrigues me. Now Im thinking insurance fraud. Put this story next to the one about the balloon boy.
Jan 29th, 2010 7:34 PM
63Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
zephyrhillsrob wrote:
let stoddard out to deal whit them , the pasco killer...over his property
Jan 29th, 2010 6:20 PM
31Report Abuse
zephyrhillsrob wrote:
let stoddard out to deal whit them , the pasco killer...over his property
Jan 29th, 2010 6:20 PM
31Report Abuse
Naked Thunder wrote:
as a matter of continuing education - if when the Dad got home and saw the perps like he did - if he was armed and whipped his gun out and the perps didn't retreat - was he justified shooting them both?
Hey Dong - nice story - how about asking the sheriff's department for their response?
Jan 29th, 2010 6:01 PM
41Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
Don from Tampa wrote:
They had an alarm yet it wasn’t set? This is a true case of no one having a plan. A prank? If you must text, have a key word so dad or mom knows right away something’s terribly wrong. Text what’s actually happening. Better yet, talk and say what’s happening. Then dad and mom can call 911 if son can’t do it himself. And the baseball bat thing? Better the home invaders ran away. Hey, I could go on, yet this is a case of dad and son not having a clue what to do. The good news; no one was injured, yet the perp’s haven’t been caught and they’ll keep on doing what they know best. And the next time they’ll look behind the couch, and that‘s when things begin getting worse. That’s why your very first reaction should be; call 911, then let the professionals take over.
Jan 29th, 2010 4:53 PM
81Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
ididso wrote:
I'm glad that all worked out, but, why didn't the Dad at least call the police when he first got the message?
Jan 29th, 2010 4:43 PM
71Report Abuse
Thank you for your vote
mr bill wrote:
my daughter and wife are well trained in the use of a 12 gauge and hand guns. this would not have happened at me home. what we need to do is have a required grade (7-8 grade)school course titled
1998 FLORIDA STATUTESCHAPTER 776JUSTIFIABLE USE OF FORCE
i am getting tired of getting on here and saying- i am so sorry about your loss, but what were you thinking when you raised your child.
Jan 29th, 2010 4:34 PM
46Report Abuse
lillapoyka wrote:
Why didn't he crack them in the skull with the bat?
Jan 29th, 2010 4:23 PM
71Report Abuse
Opinion Master wrote:
too bad he didn't have a .44 in the house...
Jan 29th, 2010 4:10 PM
52Report Abuse
walterschick wrote:
Why didn't he just dial 911 from start? So glad no one was hurt. What a scary experience.
Jan 29th, 2010 3:56 PM
41Report Abuse
Pugh wrote:
If the kid had a cell phone he could have pointed it at the robber and said "Don't move or I'll dial 911!" If the robber attacked him he'd have to be ready to really dial, dial to kill.
Jan 29th, 2010 3:36 PM
26Report Abuse
JoJo20 wrote:
What a lucky kid...
Jan 29th, 2010 2:35 PM
60Report Abuse
Ones who showed up IN FACE: D54 4IB R14800 Suddenly felt a need to warm my family's presence.
Seriously, Tampa parents even if you are a SCUMBAG yourself you can't want your child to be affected by one all day LONG.
No, I forgot.
Most of you do.