Respecting personal property keeps neighborhoods peaceful.

In this story, a man caught his new neighbors taking food from his greenhouse without permission.

The neighbors made a lame excuse and tried to leave with a bag of his vegetables.

What happened next stirred neighborhood drama.

Let’s take a closer look!

AITA for refusing to let a woman take for from my green house and pressing charges

I (30M) live in a nice little neighborhood.

Everyone knows everybody.

We all have our own space, and many have flower gardens.

I have a greenhouse in my backyard that is visible from the street and behind a four-foot picket fence.

This man caught the new neighbors stealing produce from his greenhouse.

We got a new neighbor.

I haven’t had the chance to meet them until today.

I have a camera in my yard that notified me of movement near the greenhouse.

I went to check and that’s when I found a lady and a young teen picking tomatoes and peppers in my greenhouse.

The neighbor made an excuse, saying they “know the owner.”

I raised my voice and asked what on earth they were doing.

The woman said it’s fine, and that she’s friends with the owner.

I asked if she wanted to run that by me again.

I told her I am the owner and I don’t know who the hell they are.

He threatened her about pressing charges, and she started crying.

When she realized she was caught, she tried to leave with a bag full of vegetables.

I told her she isn’t leaving with that food.

I told her she has two minutes to drop it and leave or I’m pressing charges.

She started crying that she’s trying to feed her child and needs it.

She said she can’t afford this on her record.

He took back the food and called the cops.

I didn’t feel like rewarding a theft.

I took the food from her and called the cops.

She’s telling everyone I’m a jerk and a toxic man.

Though most are telling her she’s in the wrong, her friends on Facebook are telling me I’m a jerk and should be ashamed.

AITA?

Let’s find out what others have to say about this.

This user shares their personal thoughts.

She deserves it, says this person.

This one talks about getting food stamps.

Yes, indeed.

Finally, here’s another valid point.

If you want free vegetables, try a farmer’s market, not someone else’s backyard.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check out what happened when a family gave their in-laws a free place to stay in exchange for babysitting, but things changed when they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.