Happy Biziversary!

I know what you’re thinking – bizi what? Biziversary. Yes, that’s a made up word. I thought of it all by myself, but I think it might catch on and some day make it into the urban dictionary.

Biziversary. Let’s break it down: part 1; biz, short for business – part 2; iversary, annual celebration of something important, in our case, the Rickrodes buying The Baer House Inn. That’s right – it’s our biziversary. We’ve owned The Baer House now for a year!

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A Manhunt, Mayhem and Murder

So there’s been some excitement here in Vicksburg, but not necessarily the good kind. The Baer House Inn is located adjacent to the Warren County Sheriff’s office, Juvenile Detention Facility and County Jail.

The building itself is pretty cool, but apparently the security is not so cool. As evidenced last week when inmate, murderer and rapist, Rafael, escaped. It’s an old brick building surrounded by other old brick buildings and parking lots. That’s it. No chain link fences, no curled up, razor-sharp barbed wire, no nothing. As soon as you open those doors, bam, there you go, freedom.

So Mr. Rafael constructs a crude shank and threatens the night guard with it, forcing him to open the jail cell. Rafael manages to get the guard’s clothes and radio and off he goes, into the wild blue yonder. Or so one would think.

Nope, not Mr. Rafael. Rafael decides to hang out. Here. In Vicksburg. About a mile from the jail. Oh sure a manhunt ensues following his escape. Everyone is on solid lock-down. Schools beef up security, businesses turn the closed signs and head for home. US Marshals comb the area with hunting dogs, officers from other counties join in the search, but, nothing. No Rafael. A door-to-door search turns up, zilch. Nadda. Nothing. Fantastic, we have a house full of tourists eager to get out and explore this quiet little town. What as I supposed to tell them?

The next day, a gaggle (I don’t know what you call a whole bunch of them) of US Marshals assemble in the parking lot across the street from the Baer House, some in uniform, some in full tactical gear, some in plain clothes. My hubby goes across the street and asks if they’ve had any luck finding Mr. Rafael. Nope. No luck. But, we are assured that Mr. Rafael is long gone by now.

Whew.

Two days later, in the early afternoon, a helicopter begins to circle my neighborhood, quite frequently and quite low to the ground. Is it him? Rafael? Is he back?

Back on lock-down. Reports of Mr. Rafael entering a home about 3 blocks away begin to surface. We hunker down beneath the whirling of the helicopter. After a couple of hours of intense helicopter drama, silence. No sirens, no alarms, no barking dogs. Silence.

Must have got him. Happy innkeepers, happy guests.

The next day we hear that Rafael again managed to evade the police (how is this possible?) and again is on the lam. What happened to him being “long gone by now?” Are law enforcement personnel really that inept or are they trained to lie to folks to maintain calm? Hmmmm?

The next day, more reports about Rafael forcing himself into a home and taking the family inside hostage. Why has this idiot not left the area? Steal a car or something. Geez, don’t hang around the scene of the crime you knuckle-head.

Well, this time, the citizens of Vicksburg take matters into their own hands. Law enforcement had their chance after all and they failed. One of the homeowners managed to get untied and shoot poor dumb Rafael with a handgun. Shot him where it matters; in the head. Dead.

Now, I am not condoning vigilante justice or shooting people, but these folks were held hostage and beaten up. A child was also in the home. That homeowner did what he had to do to protect his family. And I, for one, am glad they did. I can rest easier now.

Citizens of Vicksburg are once again safe.

So, what’s going on in your world? Any excitement to report? Do you feel safe in your neighborhood? Do you own a handgun?

Word of the Day: Drumlin

Fun fact about me: I’m not a fan of guns, but . . . .

Original post by Jansen Schmidt, March 2016. Photos courtesy Google Images.

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