Help a Lakewood Neighbor Fix Their Window

I am facilitating this for a neighbor who wants to stay anonymous yet shine light on the property laws that affect us here in Lakewood, Colorado! I am personally outraged that this could happen and the police just walk away without helping. Disgusting.

Update: I just found out that this window has been broken for 6 months! We can do better than that, Lakewood!

This is what the neighbor wrote:

We need to look at reforming the laws of Lakewood, Colorado, as they pertain to homeowners. This is my story, but it could be anyone.

What you’re looking at is the end result of letting a friend stay with me, temporarily. Funny thing is that we didn’t have an argument when she left, no issues to speak of. But what happened after she left is so bizarre. It’s like she wanted to have a problem with me. She made one up in her head, telling herself that I was keeping her belongings from her. I absolutely wasn’t and have proof. I told her 4 days before this incident happened that “I’m not trying to keep your things from you, if that’s what you’re insinuating, just come by and get them. Knock? I’ll answer, unless I’m asleep.”

Four days later, I’m in my basement bathroom and my dog starts going crazy. I start hearing what sounds like someone slamming their entire body into my front door. My dog is now scared, and that’s not an easy thing to accomplish.

By the time I get up my stairs and round the corner to the front door, the glass shatters to my front window. I stop. I yell, “I’m calling the cops!”

Here’s the interesting part. I call 911. They come, and she’s still out front; she didn’t even try to leave in the meantime. I would never do something like that, but I would probably think to take off if it was me. She must’ve known something that I didn’t.

The police come, and I explain that she used to live here, but that she hadn’t been back in weeks and I was waiting for her to come and get her belongings at some point. But she didn’t even let me answer the door today without severely damaging my property. I’m expecting them to charge her with some sort of property damage crime. Maybe some sort of crime that deals with out-of-control people that can’t handle themselves? I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was expecting something to happen, and that’s where I was wrong. They told me that her busting my window and damaging my door frame was the same thing as me doing it to my own property and that they could not charge her with any offenses. Excuse me?

Then they asked if she could come in and get her belongings. What?

You have got to be kidding me. Nope, they really wanted to know if she could come in and get her belongings.

I told them that that’s not how the world works and that she’s not gonna be rewarded for a temper tantrum, which I was to pay for. So I asked them to go and speak with her to ask her if she would pay for the damages, and if she agreed to do that, I would let her come in and get her property. She flat out said no, she would not. So I also declined. I will also add here that she stayed with me for free. I never charged her a dime. I was simply trying to help someone get on their feet so they could move to the next stage of life. While I had my own issues of unemployment and illness.

I am unable to get assistance from any type of funding to fix the window because they tell me I should be getting assistance from the victims' compensation with the county, yet they will not provide assistance to me because she was not charged with any crime. So I fall in some sort of weird loophole where there is no morality and there is no assistance. I have applied for 4 different assistance options, all of which I’ve been denied. They all say that victim’s compensation should be helping with this, or that my insurance should be taking care of it. I would love to file an insurance claim, but cannot afford the deductible. I have been out of work for some time now, and this is something I just cannot afford, and my HOA is about ready to have a coronary. They have already sent me three notices.

If you can find it in your heart to donate to a homeowner in need of a window, I would be forever grateful! My deductible is $1000 for homeowners insurance. Or I could fix it for cheaper than that, but not by much.

I also plan to advocate for the amendment of the laws in Lakewood for these particular issues, which homeowners are not protected! I firmly believe in not causing harm to anyone or anyone’s property, and just wish I could say the same for the officials in this town that are supposed to protect us.