Stephen Porter Plumbing - Mark Porter Trespassing and Threats Waltham, Massachusetts

Mark Porter strikes again. He set an apartment building on fire with his plumber's torch yesterday. Here's the article: http://www.dailynewstribune.com/news/x1669484644/Plumbers-torch-sparks-fire-at-Waltham-apartment

Mark is a life long resident of this community who has a fine reputation and is a good citizen and caring man. On Wed 11/11/09 (Veteran's Day) our 12 year old son accidentally left a door open (it was a windy day) and our dog got out of the house. He called me and my husband in desperation to please come home and help find her.

It was a neighbor who thought that our dog was found by a woman who lives at the home mentioned here. That is the only reason Mark rang your doorbell and knocked at the door shortly after noon time that day. Evidently you and an older man were at home but did not answer your door for some time.

Once you finally did come to your door the verbal attack towards him for being on your property was excessive. He merely was explaining that he was looking for our lost dog. He never once accused your family of stealing our dog but for some reason you kept carrying on in defense of that and threatened to call the police. Not very neighborly or sympathetic I must say. Maybe because we have grown up here ourselves and are raising children...we are accustomed to answering our door (in the middle of the day) and helping our friends and neighbors on the drop of a dime.

There was no property damage as you described. Why defame yourself by making these false accusations? You appear to be quite angry, paranoid and unstable yourself by carrying on with these slanderous remarks.

As for Mark running away like a coward...he just continued to look for the dog as I, my son and a few neighbors were also doing at the time.

In regards to the police call...Newton Police did contact my husband for a statement weeks ago and that was the end of the story.

Our dog is a rescue mutt that we adopted and nursed back to health over several months and whom we love very dearly. To say she would be better off elsewhere is further evidence of your vindictiveness.

By the way...it was aother woman who happened to out walking her two dogs that found our dog and reported her to Waltham Police. She was concerned for the dog's safety and wanted to be sure she was reunited with her rightful owner. Our thanks and gratitude to her and the Waltham Police department.

I was there, you were not. I suggest that you contact the Newton Police department if you would like to clarify the details of the incident. Your husband may have told you that he caused no damage, but I had a kitchen floor covered with picture frame glass and a broken gate latch that tell a different story

To my knowledge, your husband never knocked on our front door or rang our doorbell. The latter would be especially difficult as we do not have a doorbell. The first time I became aware of your husband’s presence was when I heard the pounding and crashing glass in the kitchen downstairs. I immediately came downstairs to see what was happening. Are you trying to imply that if someone doesn’t answer the door immediately it gives your husband carte blanche to trespass on private property and cause damage while doing so?

My exact words to your husband when I opened the front door were “It was extremely inappropriate for you to be in our backyard without permission.” How is this a verbal attack? He then started to scream over and over “It is appropriate because your mother has my dog!” Do you consider screaming to be a part of this neighborly behavior you extol? He was screaming so loudly that other neighbors came out of their houses. My father heard the commotion in the shower and came downstairs soaking wet to see what was going on. At that point your husband started screaming at my father to come out and fight him. How neighborly is that? I notice you didn’t address your husband’s threats of violence in your rebuttal.

I didn’t even know your dog was lost, because your husband never communicated that fact. He just kept screaming over and over “Your mother has my dog!”  and “I have every right to be in your yard!” If he had calmly and politely stated that his dog was lost I would have been happy to help him. My family has also lived in this neighborhood for a long time, over 100 years in fact. When there is a strange man screaming at you on your front porch and threatening to fight your father one is inclined to be neither “neighborly” nor “sympathetic.” If your husband expects to be treated with “neighborly” friendliness and help I would suggest that he conduct himself with a modicum of politeness and respect.

I wasn’t even going to post this report at first. I thought I would just let it go and attribute his crazy and aggressive behavior to concern over his dog. A few days after the incident your husband ran into my mother in the neighborhood. Instead of apologizing, he blamed his actions on me and on his “Irish temper.” He still could not admit that he did anything wrong that day. When my mother told him about the property damage he caused he just shrugged his shoulders. No apology. No remorse. The fact that he, and evidently you, seem to think that he is the victim in this situation and did nothing wrong is deeply concerning. Losing a dog does not give him the right to terrorize others. Your husband is not allowed to trespass on private property. He is not allowed to break others possessions. He is not allowed to threaten people with violence. If he does not realize this then the community should be warned, as should anyone who is considering letting him into their home to do work.

By the way, the reason that you haven’t heard anything else from the police is that we declined to press charges. You’re welcome. And your husband owes my family an apology.