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UER Forum > US: South > Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail! (Viewed 5815 times)
Peptic Ulcer 


Location: Katy, TX
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"Isn't it fun - being bad?"

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Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< on 2/22/2016 10:01 PM >
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We always tell newbies to follow the railroad tracks for abandonments. I was in Lake Charles, LA and as my lunch hour is winding down, I find a complex of 3 buildings near the tracks at the end of a dead end road - all abandoned. The largest one was pretty modern, mostly offices, with a couple of large bay doors. It looked like a distribution company of some sort. Unfortunately it was buttoned up tight.

I park my car in this places parking lot, grab my gear and make my way to the other two. The next building looks great. Old, red brick, an old railroad spur in the back and it even had a smokestack! Unfortunately it also had a high fence topped in razor wire...

I follow the fence and find a spot BARELY big enough for me to squeeze through (I seriously thought I was going to get my fat ass stuck). I begin to get my usual shitty photos and notice large bags filled with some type of black powder. Coal?

The warehouses were wide open so I get a few of the usual lonely chairs, a sink, the obligatory "look how large this place is" pic. Then it was on to the next building.

This place was more of the same but a LOT more of these bags. As I round the corner of where these are stacked I almost collide with a man and a woman. Refraining as best I could from pissing my pants, I say hello and ask what they are doing there. They reply that they own the place!

Oh shit...

The next natural question from them Is what I was doing there. I said that I was an urban explorer and I was there to just take pictures. "What's an Urban Explorer?"

I explained that it's a weird hobby where I go into abandoned buildings and take pictures. I explained that it's just a hobby, I don't publish or make money off of the photos. I was then informed that the place was not abandoned (obviously) and I was trespassing.

I said I understood and that I apologize. Had I known it was occupied I never would have come in. The lady then told me that she wanted my memory card from my camera. I told her that I had photos from other places on it so I couldn't give it up but I would let her watch me delete the photos.

The guy then asked what I did for a living and (like a dumbass) I told him the name of my company. He replied that he suspected my boss wouldn't appreciate me wasting company time when I was supposed to be working.

Oh shit.

I then said, "Look. I've deleted the photos, you've explained that this place is occupied and I've apologized and agreed to not come back. If you want to call the cops I'll wait for them, pay the $50 fine and be on my way."

They agreed to not press charges but wanted my ID. When I asked why they said that they have had problems with environmental groups hassling them and wanted proof that they had trespassed in case something came up.

I agreed and we walked back to my car. When we get there, the guy asks me for a business card. At this point I was scared AND pissed. I told him that my company doesn't need to be involved in this and that if he wanted to press charges to go ahead but I wasn't going to jeopardize my career over this.

He took a photo of my ID, wrote down my license plate, we shook hands and I left.

Before I got to the end of the road, what do I see but a cop car.

Oh shit.

Rather than turn this into a big thing and worry about it, I turned around, and followed the cop,to the same parking lot I had just left. I get out of the car and said, "You may be looking for me." He looked a bit perplexed and asked why.

I then explained what had happened and he laughed and said no, that this was the jurisdiction of the city police. Back walks the building owner who then said that I had been trespassing. The cop said that nobody called him and he was just there because it was quiet and wanted to do some paperwork. I then told the building owner, again, if he wanted to press charges that I was willing to wait.

He again declined, said that they hadn't called the police and I left again, looking in my rear view mirror the entire time.

Lesson from this explore: More recon before going in. Also, don't explore when you're on the clock. Oh, and Louisiana building owners are assholes.




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Explorer Zero 


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Re: Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< Reply # 1 on 2/22/2016 11:46 PM >
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wow man youre on a roll!




Keaven 


Location: 15 miles from the Grassy Knoll
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Re: Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< Reply # 2 on 2/23/2016 4:21 AM >
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Posted by Peptic Ulcer
...I round the corner of where these are stacked I almost collide with a man and a woman. Refraining as best I could from pissing my pants, I say hello and ask what they are doing there. They reply that they own the place!

Oh shit...

The next natural question from them Is what I was doing there. I said that I was an urban explorer and I was there to just take pictures. "What's an Urban Explorer?"

I explained that it's a weird hobby where I go into abandoned buildings and take pictures.


It would have been likely to have gone better had you not said "Urban Explorer". That just opens a can of worms. I'd say that I "am interested in local history" or that I "love old buildings" or any number of other phrases to simplify and demystify UE.

Posted by Peptic Ulcer
I was then informed that the place was not abandoned (obviously) and I was trespassing.

I said I understood and that I apologize. Had I known it was occupied I never would have come in.


At that point, anything else you say can only dig yourself deeper. Probably be better to say nothing else, turn and leave.





IndoAnomaly 


Location: Austin, TX
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Nothing to see here.

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Re: Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< Reply # 3 on 2/24/2016 5:27 AM >
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What the heck. Just leave and don't look back. And DO NOT approach the cop and offer yourself up for arrest. Like, what?!




Every time you read this, I become more powerful.

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Peptic Ulcer 


Location: Katy, TX
Gender: Male
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"Isn't it fun - being bad?"

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Re: Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< Reply # 4 on 2/24/2016 12:28 PM >
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Im in a different state. I'm caught. The property owner had me dead to right. I really didn't care if I got arrested as WORST case it's a $50 fine. What I DIDNT want is to flee, have to worry that a criminal complaint is filed and I had no idea. If they were going to file charges then let's get it over with and move on.

Honestly, I think by volunteering to be arrested, they were more sympathetic and didn't call the cops. Had I tried to hide, be deceptive, run away it would have aroused their suspicions even more and they WOULD have filed charges. I really just didn't want the stress of having to worry what might happen and as it turned out it worked! <HUGE sigh of relief>




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skatchkins 


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Re: Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< Reply # 5 on 2/24/2016 4:22 PM >
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Great story. Interesting choices from my armchair but it sounds like you felt out as you went what the situation needed to be remedied. Good save.




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IndoAnomaly 


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Nothing to see here.

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Re: Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< Reply # 6 on 2/24/2016 10:59 PM >
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Posted by Peptic Ulcer
Im in a different state. I'm caught. The property owner had me dead to right. I really didn't care if I got arrested as WORST case it's a $50 fine. What I DIDNT want is to flee, have to worry that a criminal complaint is filed and I had no idea. If they were going to file charges then let's get it over with and move on.

Honestly, I think by volunteering to be arrested, they were more sympathetic and didn't call the cops. Had I tried to hide, be deceptive, run away it would have aroused their suspicions even more and they WOULD have filed charges. I really just didn't want the stress of having to worry what might happen and as it turned out it worked! <HUGE sigh of relief>


No no. I get all that. But approaching the cop. And again offering yourself to the be arrested. That's what gets me. They already let you off. I wouldn't give myself another opportunity to get arrested. And is it really just a $50 charge for that offense?




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Rinzler 


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Re: Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< Reply # 7 on 2/24/2016 11:08 PM >
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You wouldn't last up here.




tiffers 


Location: Texas
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...

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Re: Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< Reply # 8 on 2/24/2016 11:28 PM >
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Posted by IndoAnomaly
And is it really just a $50 charge for that offense?


No. It definitely is not. Pretty sure I know of one Texas explorer who got an almost $400 ticket in addition to having to pay to get their vehicle out of impound. Some other Texas explorers have spent a night in jail after being 'caught', too.




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Peptic Ulcer 


Location: Katy, TX
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"Isn't it fun - being bad?"

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Re: Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< Reply # 9 on 2/24/2016 11:38 PM >
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I stand corrected. For 1st offence it's between $100 & $500. I'll pay that every time. http://law.justia....rs/title14/rs14-63

Since I had just left the location and the cop had just showed up you're right, I could easily have just taken off. However, what I didn't know was if the woman who went back to the office called the cops even though she said she wouldn't. The guy had my information already so I could have been pulled over and arrested anytime in the future. I preferred to get it over with rather than look in my rear view mirror for god knows how long and worry about it.




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blackhawk 

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Re: Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< Reply # 10 on 2/24/2016 11:56 PM >
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So what was in the bags?
And the pics? You didn't recover the deleted images?




Just when I thought I was out... they pulled me back in.
Peptic Ulcer 


Location: Katy, TX
Gender: Male
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"Isn't it fun - being bad?"

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Re: Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< Reply # 11 on 2/25/2016 1:15 AM >
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Post by blackhawk
So what was in the bags?
And the pics? You didn't recover the deleted images?


According to the owners, the stuff in the bags were pure carbon. Their primary customers are foundries who use it in steel. It felt like powdered charcoal. They wouldn;t tell me where they got it from and I didn't want to seem TOO interested since they already thought I was there to spy.

As far as the photos, I have no idea even HOW to recover the images. Its a shame because I took a couple of nice lonely chair shots I was pretty proud of.




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blackhawk 

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Re: Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< Reply # 12 on 2/25/2016 1:31 AM >
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Posted by Peptic Ulcer



According to the owners, the stuff in the bags were pure carbon. Their primary customers are foundries who use it in steel. It felt like powdered charcoal. They wouldn;t tell me where they got it from and I didn't want to seem TOO interested since they already thought I was there to spy.

As far as the photos, I have no idea even HOW to recover the images. Its a shame because I took a couple of nice lonely chair shots I was pretty proud of.


Coke perhaps? Molybdenum? Moly is toxic.

To salvage the images, Do Not use or format the card. Download the free app Image Rescue 4 and use it to recover them.
I think it's free. I've use Image Rescue 2 and it's a favorite app of mine, it can low level format and salvage corrupted cards that others apps can't.
http://www.lexar.c...-rescue-4-software



[last edit 2/25/2016 1:32 AM by blackhawk - edited 1 times]

Just when I thought I was out... they pulled me back in.
Peptic Ulcer 


Location: Katy, TX
Gender: Male
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"Isn't it fun - being bad?"

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Re: Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< Reply # 13 on 2/25/2016 1:43 AM >
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Damn...I've taken about 50 pics since then. Will it still work?




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blackhawk 

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Re: Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< Reply # 14 on 2/25/2016 1:48 AM >
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Posted by Peptic Ulcer
Damn...I've taken about 50 pics since then. Will it still work?



Download what's on there and do not format it, then give it a shot.
If you haven't over written them... it will work.




Just when I thought I was out... they pulled me back in.
Explorer Zero 


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Re: Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< Reply # 15 on 2/25/2016 2:51 AM >
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Posted by blackhawk


Download what's on there and do not format it, then give it a shot.
If you haven't over written them... it will work.


yeah I was gonna offer that some cameras start renumbering the images each time, and so may overwrite the last images, not sure why but I know my Canons don't do that

youre able to select a file numbering method on some cams




Peptic Ulcer 


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"Isn't it fun - being bad?"

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Re: Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< Reply # 16 on 2/25/2016 2:56 AM >
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Actually it worked...on all images I deleted from my computer. Unfortunately the photos deleted on the camera could only be recovered if I purchased the software and I really don't want them that badly. I have to say I was pretty impressed with it. Great recommendation - I appreciate it!




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EsseXploreR 


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Re: Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< Reply # 17 on 2/25/2016 3:42 AM >
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A handful of times I've seen the police responding to a location I just left. Not once did I ever think to turn around and go back to the scene, and openly confess to a crime that I hadn't even been accused of. To each their own I suppose.




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blackhawk 

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Re: Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< Reply # 18 on 2/25/2016 4:13 AM >
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Posted by Peptic Ulcer
Actually it worked...on all images I deleted from my computer. Unfortunately the photos deleted on the camera could only be recovered if I purchased the software and I really don't want them that badly. I have to say I was pretty impressed with it. Great recommendation - I appreciate it!


Fuck, sorry. Thought that version was free. I got Image Rescue 2 with my Lexar card, it's fully functional. Some of those apps will convert the data so only they can recover it. Not sure if IR4 does that.

You might want to just bite the bullet as you are sure to be force to delete more by angry property owners




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SilentSearch 


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Re: Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail!
< Reply # 19 on 2/25/2016 6:46 PM >
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Great story. Happy that it ended without incident.

Might consider running next time.. LOL




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UER Forum > US: South > Follow The Railroad Tracks...To Jail! (Viewed 5815 times)
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