Some kids are in for a serious talking-to.
That is, if Dianne Betts ever finds out who made her the object of a prank.
Late on a recent Friday, Betts was enjoying time with her daughter and son-in-law when her doorbell rang.
Normally, at that hour she would not have answered, but with her son-in-law standing nearby, she went ahead and opened the door. The next thing she knew, a wall of water flooded her entryway, submerging her hand-rubbed hardwood floors and antique Oriental rugs.
The pranksters had propped a 35-gallon trashcan full of water against her front door, so that even the slightest movement would send a surge of water into Betts’ home.
“And of course, it was late, so we were standing around in our pajamas. It took us hours to get the place cleaned up. It was a mess,” she says.
Betts, her daughter and son-in-law immediately tried to minimize any water damage to the hardwood floors and rugs by placing fans on them.
She also called police, though there wasn’t much they could do. Betts wasn’t able to provide a detailed description of any suspects, and the trashcan was so dirty police couldn’t find any fingerprints.
She suspects that it was a few neighborhood boys who took a prank too far. “The police just chalked this whole thing up to bored kids during the summertime who had nothing else to do. I figured they were looking for a classmate or someone else. I don’t know why they picked me. Eventually one of these kids is going to brag about it. Then I’ll just have to visit with them,” she says.
Dallas Police Sr. Cpl. Janice Crowther agrees that it could have been a bunch of youngsters with too much idle time, but she says that doesn’t make it okay.
“If they are caught, they will be charged with criminal mischief,” she says. “If you’ve got a good neighborhood association watching, those kids won’t be hard to identify. They may think it’s fun, but it can cause someone turmoil if there are a lot of damages.”
Betts agrees that her floors and rugs could have been ruined, which is why the prank is so serious.
“Obviously, none of these things are life threatening, but the potential for damage is huge. If my daughter and son-in-law had not been here when this happened, there could have easily been $100,000 in damages.”
Betts is on the board of the Caruth Hills and Homeplace Neighborhood Association, so she wasted no time in alerting her neighbors. “We sent out a blurb on our website, and I’ve put a bug in parents’ cars to talk with their children.” Betts says that by spreading the word, she hopes to help neighbors avoid her fate.
Dallas Police Sr. Cpl. Ron Carpenter says while alerting neighbors is key to curbing any repeats, there are a few additional measures homeowners can take.
