Hostage crisis...

Dh is a real estate appraiser for the county. One day last week he had to go measure some buildings on some guy's property because the guy was building without a permit. It was a horse farm. He drove down the lane and was met by one of the farm hands. Dh explained what he was there to do and the farmhand told him he better wait for the owner since "he wouldn't like it". Dh convinced him it was no big deal and while the guy was calling the owner he went off to measure the new buildings. Minutes later the owner pulled into the lot blocking dh's car so he couldn't leave. The guy ranted about how dh was trespassing on private property and had no right to be there. Dh was driving a county car with the county insignia on the door and he was wearing what he likes to refer to as a "patch with a shirt on it" that also signified that he was with the government. The guy said that if he wasn't allowed on county property then the county wasn't allowed on his. Hmmmm...red flag there.

The guy called dh's office to verify his identity and then called the police. He moved his vehicle and minutes later two police cruisers showed up and blocked dh in again. He could have gone before the police got there but he told the guy he'd wait and in the meantime he got all the information about the buildings that he needed. Dh was blocked in at this place for an hour and a half.

Just a note here: The county does not issue cell phones or radios to the appraisers. The only reason why dh has a cell phone is because I insisted he get one in case he ever gets into a sticky situation.

When dh got back to the office his supervisor said he wasn't sure he'd ever see dh alive again. Apparently the owner of the property cannot set foot on the government complex or the courthouse without a police escort. He is banned from council meetings and public hearings. He has made threats. Dh's supervision knew this. Dh did not. He could have walked right into the barrel of a shotgun.

One of these days he's going to get killed while measuring a crackhouse.