I'm thinkin' Texas Trinity! As in Summer and .. gosh, I apologize. Let me read your post before I spout off.

Dang Trin..... after reading your post.... I think it was ME!!!

Jusssssssssssssss kiddin!
Buy your icecream at the store and I think you'll be fine!

Oh yeah.. lock the doors too!

If you don't already know the neighbors, this is the time to get to know them. Can you find out why he was previously arrested? I'd talk to everyone and tell them about the arrest, particularly anyone who has moved into the neighborhood in the last few years. Knock on doors if you need to. Report the guy to the police every time you see suspicious activity. He won't stay if he isn't welcome.

Trin-I don't know exactly where you are in TX but my sister lives in the Ft.Worth,Plano area.She told me about an ice cream man that was arrested for molesting a child a couple of years ago.He is still there and kids go to his shop and I think he teaches maybe guitar or something.Not sure about that.I'll have to call her and get her to refresh my memory.Could this be the same guy? I don't blame you for being concerned.I wouldn't hesitate to call authorities!

There are several towns in my area that have outlawed (is that the right word?) ice cream trucks. The rationale is the danger of kids running out in the street, the annoying music, the slowing of traffic. Maybe you could organize a movement to have an ordinance like that put into effect in your town?

Otherwise, I'd make a complaint to the company the guy works for--whoever owns the truck (Mr. Softee, Blue Bunny, Jack and Jill, whichever).

And you want to hear a good ice cream story? about 30+ years ago, the young couple next door to us split up. The wife was still living in the house, and truth be told, went a little wild after the divorce. She had men coming around night and day. One day, I was out front gardening, when the ice cream truck pulled up in front of her house. The guy got out, and went in--of course, he had to leave the truck running so the refrigeration would keep going. Well, after about a half hour, the guy came dashing out of the house, tucking his shirt in.... Gave new meaning to the name Mr. Softee, I can tell you!

Turn him into the health department.
He is selling a food product. He has to be licensed.
Bet he doesn't have a license/permit.

Selling ice cream, in November, after dark, is suspicious.
The police should investigate this.

Pooh Bear

This really bothers me in a couple of ways. I have had a close relationship with various aspects of law enforcement from crime prevention, police support, private investigations and more. Several things here don't sit well with me. Regardless, a few things come to mind that could complicate things...

Many areas do require a license but not all, so of course check that out. Let's say they are required to be licensed. Unless someone sees him selling something, there's no violation. Now naturally, the question then would be what he's doing if he's not legitimate, but I simply raise the complication.

It would be strange to be selling drugs or something from an ice cream truck, but hey, sometimes they can get imaginative. Again you need to see who is buying and what they're buying. Let's face it if he's dealing drugs in your neighborhood, there's a market in your neighborhood. So even if you get rid of him, the buyers are still there.

Now with all of that, you would run the risk of a potential stalking charge if you follow them around too much, so you have to be careful.

It can't be that difficult to get the license plate number and give it to the police and tell them your apprehensions. They can check on licensing and the like. If you're absolutely sure it's the same guy, and if the guy owns the vehicle in his name, it wouldn't be tough to check the background on him. Keep in mind that the police need help. You won't be able to call 911 and say he's driving down the street, come check him out... since he'd be long gone by the time they'd get there. Police may well not be able to come out for hours or even days on such a report if there's other things occupying them.

Now, let's also be fair here. You said you don't like him because you saw him "arrested". You have no idea why he was arrested and I suspect your imagination is running wild with thoughts of why he was arrested. Could it be something serious? Could it be it was a driving offense? Could it be it was for overdue library books? Expired tabs? Could it be a false charge? Could it be an accident and he mouthed off to the cop? Do you know for sure he was actually arrested and not something like being brought in for questioning or something?

Just how are you planning to "scare him off"? That has me concerned. And you don't want to be the snitch, but does this mean you know something more than you're saying?

For everyone's well-being, I'd suggest some investigation before looking for a rope, a horse and a tree. I've seen peoples' lives affected and nearly destroyed by vicious rumors and unfounded allegations. I've seen people have to move because of it. I get very apprehensive when things like this happen. If there's TRULY something wrong there, then stand up, be the snitch or whatever. But also, be sure of what you charge, please.

Cynic-you make a lot of good points, however, I have to take issue with one of them.

Selling drugs from an ice cream truck? That sort of thing VERY common in a lot of places. As a matter of fact, there was a penny candy store in the town I grew up in, that was put out of business when it was discovered that they were selling more than candy--it was the local drug supermarket. and I'm 58--so you can see how long ago that was.

Something like an ice cream truck is considered a great cover by the seller, and a huge convenience (door-to-door delivery) to the buyer), not uncommon at all.

But you are absolutely right that the poster needs to step back, give law enforcement any info she has, and then let them handle it.

There's another possibility for why he was arrested that immediately sprang to my mind--back child support. A lot of guys who are resisting paying that DO take low-paying, cash only jobs to keep their income low, and hide a good bit of it--thinking it would get them off the hook. While that makes him a pretty poor excuse for a human being, it really doesn't make him a danger to the neighborhood kids.

I appreciate every ones view on this problem. Really interesting. Having lived here as long as I have, I do know the neighbors very well. Some are good friends, others just neighbors. I will be getting the word out to everyone over the next couple of days as to what I have seen, and what I suspect.
The police only missed him by about 2 minutes.
I only know by heresay that he was arrested on a battery charge against his now ex-wife. It was not dumb luck that they happened upon him that day. They were looking for him.

The truck he drives is an unmarked white refrigerated van. That leads me to believe he is in business for himself.
I can't believe I misplaced his Lic. #, I went to great pains to get it a couple of weeks ago when he was parked down on the corner for a long period of time doing who knows what.
I may be wrong, but if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck......
He will be watched closely by me, and I will call the law everytime I see him at inappropiate times. I am a very serious person, and I intend to keep this neighborhood safe.

If he has nothing to hide, he should know that we are only concerned for the well being of our living space and he should have respect for that.

Trin

You want his license plate number?
Stop him and buy an ice cream.
Note the plate number while you are there.

I still say:
Selling ice cream, in November, after dark, is suspicious.
The police should investigate this.

Pooh Bear

As I said people are very creative and I'm not suggesting that it is not a possibility. In fact, one of the big places for meth labs is of all places fish houses! And another big place is the mini storage units. (I didn't find it surprising, but did find it interesting.) I'm just saying that you go where your customers are. If he's a drug dealer, he's not coming into a drug-free neighborhood to try to sell. That's simple. If he's selling, which may be, but if he is then there's customers in the neighborhood so the neighbors aren't clean. Basic marketing.

Is there a crime watch group in the area? If not, maybe there should be. They can be quite effective and the crime prevention specialists can help educate everyone on what to watch for and what to do when you see something that doesn't seem right. That can also start to send a message to the customer side which I maintain will be far more effective than concentrating only on the supply side. As I said, they don't go where there's no buyers.

And again I caution, don't think that by calling the police constantly is going to get results, unless there's substance. You could very easily get tagged as, let's just say, crying wolf or otherwise.

There's certainly something strange. But there's a right and wrong way to handle it to get results. And I do have concerns about what I've read, is all. I think it's kind of a leap to tie an alleged assault on a spouse to child abuse and drugs and just because there's been a truck that was involved in illegal activities doesn't mean they all are. Of course everyone wants to keep the kids safe. There's just a lot of missing pieces to this puzzle and a lot of things that don't make sense on all sides.

I'm not sure how long after dark it is that he's traveling through. In fairness, it gets dark there at what, 5:30? That's not all that late to be selling something in a truck and what's the temps around there 60° or so, which at least makes a cover if he's doing something sinister. Let's face it, in this type of marketing, when legitimate, they'll sell until they get home, whether it be dark or -30°. Strange but true. So these few facts aren't all that compelling so far, at least from what I know and that's why I suggest caution.

And of course, it should also be cautioned that, if the worst is true, it could be very dangerous to everyone to go off and try to enforce the law alone. I surely don't want to see anyone injured or killed. I'm just hoping reason and rational thinking will prevail over vigilantism. Stay safe and may the good guys and gals win. BTW, don't get me wrong, you certainly have my support in trying to gain and maintain a peaceful and safe neighborhood and I applaud you concern and efforts. Good luck.

"don't think that by calling the police constantly is going to get results, unless there's substance. You could very easily get tagged as, let's just say, crying wolf or otherwise."

There was a very short-lived mid-season replacment show that debuted in March 2006 called Heist. The basic plotline was "A team of crooks tries to rob three different Beverly Hills jewelers at the same time." The commericals all included the tagline "Beverly Hills won't know what hit it." It was actually a pretty good show -- I thought it was a shame that it was yanked after 7 episodes.

But, I digress...

The opening scene of the pilot episode had two characters - James Johnson (portrayed by Steve Harris [Jayson Turk on Eli Stone, Eugene Young on The Practice] and Mickey O'Neil (portrayed by Dougray Scott [Ian Hainsworth on Desperate Housewives]) standing at a power box across the street from a jewelry store. James would cut the power, the jewelry store alarm would go off, and the cops would respond. The cops would determine it was a false alarm, and leave. This little stunt was pulled about 10 times, and the cops would respond more slowly each time. Finally, the cops quit responding at all, figuring it was just another false alarm. Naturally, James and Mickey were then able to break into the jewelry store without worrying about being busted by the cops.

Buying and/or eating ice cream after dark in November is not a crime, and it's not all that unusual. The last thing you should want to do is make a false accusation and then find yourself the object of retaliation.

Get a camera that is capable of taking photos in low light situations, and that can also take video. Document what you see. You'll get a lot farther with the authorities if you can present them with evidence rather than just suspicions.