Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast - 9x01: Imposter Cop - Let's Not Meet

Episode Date: August 8, 2022

-UPCOMING LIVE SHOWS- THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 - SEATTLE, WA - TRIPLE DOOR (NEW VENUE!) (CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS) FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2022 - PORTLAND, OR - POLARIS HALL  (CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS)  ...Stories in this episode: - He Held a Gun to My Head, by Anon (1:28) - The Station Wagon, by Heather Lee (16:09) - Birthday Night, by Anouk (24:20) - Being a Good Samaritan Almost Put Me and My Littler Girl in Danger, by Anon (29:44) - Imposter Cop, by Meghan (39:14) Extended Patreon Content - Creepy Clown Robber, by Trish - New In Town, by hypocritical pancake - Crazy Man in the Woods, by Gracie - The Truck, by Marie - Willie, by Anon - Unknown Call, by Sofia To help fund our TV Pilot of Let's Never Meet and get access to a bunch of awesome perks head over to letsnotmeettv.com today! All of the stories you've heard this week were narrated and produced with the permission of their respective authors. Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast is not associated with Reddit or any other message boards online. To submit your story to the show, send it to letsnotmeetstories@gmail.com.   Get access to extended, ad-free episodes of Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast with bonus stories every week at a higher bitrate along with a bunch of other great exclusive material and merch at patreon.com/letsnotmeetpodcast. This podcast would not be possible to continue at this rate without the help of the support of the legendary LNM Patrons. Come join the family! Don't forget to check out this week's episode of my other podcast Odd Trails for your true paranormal fix as well as the first episode of my new podcast the Old Time Radiocast all at crypticcountypodcasts.com.   Check out NativeDeo.com/meet, or use promo code MEET at checkout, and get 20% off your first order today, and don't forget to check out their sunscreen for those bright summer days! All time stamps are approximate and may not be 100% accurate after 90 days due to changes in ad placement.   - Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/433173970399259/   - Twitter - https://twitter.com/letsnotmeetcast  - Website - https://letsnotmeetpodcast.com  - Patreon - https://patreon.com/letsnotmeetpodcast  - Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/letsnotmeetcast/   - Twitch - https://twitch.tv/crypticcounty  

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Starting point is 00:00:00 You know it, your wife knows it, your friends know it. Yep, there's no getting away from the fact that there's an outdoor kitchen shaped hole in your life. And it's time to put things right. Thankfully, bull outdoor products are ready with everything you need to create a world-class outdoor cooking space. Bull outdoor kitchens and accessories add value to your property and extra fun to your world. If you're gonna do it, do it right. Turn a bull loosen your backyard. BullBBQ.com to Just follow the links in the show notes. You can get your hands on some tickets for both shows, the first of which will be at the Neptune Theater in Seattle, Washington on August 25th.
Starting point is 00:00:49 Followed by a second show at the Polaris Hall in Portland, Oregon on August 26th. Additionally, if you're from the area, you plan to attend one of these shows and you have a story that you'd like to share. By all means, send it to the Story Submission inbox at Let's Not Meet Stories at gmail.com and we'll see about getting it on the lineup for the live show. And remember, this podcast contains adult language and content. Listener discretion is advised. Enjoy the show. Season 9 Episode 1 of Let's Not Meet the True Horror Podcast. For some background, I live in a very tiny town, where it is easy to reach and hang out
Starting point is 00:02:04 with my extended family. The side of the family we will be mentioning today is my mom's side of the family tree. My mom's side of the family has always been my favorite as they know how to have fun and also gave birth to my favorite person, my cousin Jacob. To begin, I loved visiting my mom's side of the family. They were lively compared to my dad's prim and proper side. Yes, I indeed loved them because of my cousin Jacob, but I also loved this side because of the relaxed and laid back adults, which is weird considering that my mom is so strict.
Starting point is 00:02:46 Among these adults is my uncle. We'll call him Thomas. I used to be obsessed with him, following him around as a young child does when they find someone fascinating. However, as I grew older, I decided to back away as he was starting to develop a family with his new girlfriend. I didn't want her to think that I was annoying. I still thought he was cool, but I just decided that I didn't need to follow him anymore
Starting point is 00:03:16 and instead I started being accepted by the cousins that were my age. Fast forward a year or two and he started offering me weed. I was shocked, after all, I was only about twelve and had strict parents so weed was incredibly taboo. I said no, immediately. Yet he asked me again. Come on, I'm not going to tell on you. After that comment, I felt extremely uncomfortable and just laughed it off, trying to seem cool. I left the interaction with a bad taste in my mouth.
Starting point is 00:03:55 It was the first time I had gotten a bad feeling about him. Fast forward another couple of years and I'm about 15. I had grown into my body. The body of a full woman by then. I'm sitting on the couch in his mother's home with the other female cousins of mine, watching my extended family's children. I was just kind of on my phone as teens do, and I felt someone heavy plop right next to me. It was Uncle Thomas. Although I was wary, he wasn't doing anything particularly creepy, so I just stayed sitting. He begins to talk and sympathize with me about being elected as the family babysitter. I laughed and continued watching them, and directing the controlled chaos of children running about.
Starting point is 00:04:45 Are you feeling tired? He asked after a while. Yeah, kind of, I responded. You should take a nap. I've got it." He said carefully nudging my head onto his shoulder. You see, he and his girlfriend had broken up, so technically, I didn't have to distance myself anymore, but for some reason my heart sank. I had no idea why. I wasn't a little girl anymore. I just felt weird. During this instance, he grabbed my thigh and tried to play it off by tickling me. I didn't think it was worth ruining my entire family for, so I didn't tell my mom.
Starting point is 00:05:30 But this secret was eating me alive. So I ended up confiding in my favorite cousin, Jacob. Jacob was six foot one and was extremely built and scary. Many people feared him, but I didn't because he adored me and doated upon me, even baking me heart-shaped pastries and such. But on top of the love, he was extremely overprotective. When I told him, he was heartbroken. He blamed himself for not being there, and he was ready to get his friends to beat the man up in my honor. But he respected my wishes to keep it a secret, and instead became sort of a bodyguard.
Starting point is 00:06:13 Fast forward another year, and my interactions with Uncle Thomas became sour as I was being a total bitch to him by now, with my cousin for protection. Any chance that I got, I would be right him. I'm a very spicy woman, so everyone thought that it was all in good fun, and that was just the nature of our relationship now. When he would beckon me over, I would scowl at him, and claim that he smelled or that he made my eyes soar. I even went as far as to ignore his greeting hugs, which are customary when greeting
Starting point is 00:06:51 in my family, and I used the excuse that he didn't get the privilege of hugging me. I went on like that for a couple of months until one day. I was again at his mother's home. This time, however, my huge cousin Jacob was right next to me. I had been avoiding Uncle Thomas all night as he tried following me around. My cousin blamed it on me wearing a crop top, but I wasn't about to not wear the clothes that I wanted because of a creep. As I was about to walk into the living room, he walked out of the bedroom. I was cornered in the kitchen, but I wasn't nervous.
Starting point is 00:07:31 I mean, my cousin was right there. What are you going to do?" He started. Oh, I was just about to go into the living room, I said, avoiding eye contact. You don't even want to hang out with me anymore. You don't even look at me anymore,' he said, sounding slightly irritated. I shrugged in response and tried walking past him, which was when it happened. He penned me to the fridge so fast and forcefully that my vision went foggy for a moment.
Starting point is 00:08:04 "'Look at me," he said quietly. My cousin stood there shocked. Hey, man, let her go," Jacob said. But he was interrupted when my uncle told him to stay out of it if he knew what was good for him. I felt bad for my cousin. Yes, he was six foot, and he was strong but he was 16, against a 34 year old who towers over him and had much more experience with fighting.
Starting point is 00:08:33 He stood there dazed and shocked, worst of all he was just frozen. But I continued being defiant, I refused to look at him. I knew what it was. It was that power play thing that people get off to, seeing someone frail and looking up at you as you overpower them. No fucking the thank you. He kept telling me to look at him, and his soft pleas began converting into harsh demands. All I could think of was, what the fuck is this man doing in the middle of the kitchen where anyone could just walk in? But I stood my ground, and I didn't look at
Starting point is 00:09:11 him. It wasn't until I felt the same disgusting hand that was only on my thigh a year ago, now gripping my chin. He forced me to look at him, but I wasn't going to be scared. Instead my eyes blazed with disgust. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction that I knew that he wanted. When our eyes met, he smiled and let go of me. He left only saying, you look ugly when you squint your eyebrows like that. My cousin told me that he would be ready next time, and I agreed that I would be ready as well.
Starting point is 00:09:51 But the day wasn't over yet, my eyes fell on my frozen cousin who was spewing apologies now, saying that he had no idea what to do, and didn't think he would be so bold as to do it in front of me. This crazy motherfucker got even braver, though. Later during the party, I knew he was outside taking shots with the rest of the family, so I went into the room with all of the boy cousins and even my older brother. I was watching them play PC, when suddenly he walked in, drunk. Yes, I was still shaken up, but it didn't stop me from being
Starting point is 00:10:28 mouthy. We were just in here having fun, and you ruined it, get out, I said coldly. This is my room though, he responded with a smiling face. I didn't know that he had moved in, and there I was sitting on his bed like fucking pray. He liked that fact. Comfy, he asked. I looked away, acting like I didn't hear him. This annoyed him because I would never have expected him to do what he did next. You boys want to see something cool?" he said, as he reached for the safe.
Starting point is 00:11:08 They loved everything that he did, and everything he did was cool to them, so they turned their attention to him waiting. He unlocked his safe and pulled out three cases, all of them containing guns. He showed them to the thrill-seeking boys of the small town who had never seen a gun in real life. I looked away, disinterested, and lay back on the pillow. My cousin Jacob walks in and sits next to me on the bed. I closed my eyes and felt safe with all of the commotion from the boys, and now, having my protector by my side. I heard a click, and then everything went quiet. I opened my eyes only to be met with a gun to my face and a roomful of frozen teenagers. My uncle Thomas backed up a bit, and pointed it at the boys
Starting point is 00:12:01 who immediately started gasping and throwing their hands up. Yet, they seemed to think that it was a joke. I knew better. As he pointed the gun across the room to each individual, he said, get out. And they slowly started giggling and scurried out of the room, squealing with excitement. Yet all I felt was dread. I got up, hoping that I would be allowed to leave. When he pointed at my forehead, sit down, who told you that you could leave? He said with the liquor smell permeating the air. Could they not see that he was joking? My cousin was frozen, but didn't leave. The gun was pointed at him, finally. Get out.
Starting point is 00:12:50 My cousin shook his head and looked at me. He whispered, I'm not going to leave. My uncle Thomas looked irritated and pointed it back at me. I was scared that he would do something to Jacob in his drunken state. It's okay, Jacob. He just wants to show me something. I said to my cousin, and with that Jacob reluctantly left. Yes, it was dumb for me to send him away, but I genuinely believed I was saving his life because this psycho had a loaded gun to our foreheads. As my cousin left, he laughed and lowered the gun. Why are you so scared?
Starting point is 00:13:30 It's just a joke," he said. Then why did you send everyone away, I said? Because you never hang out with me anymore. All of a sudden you think you're all grown up. As he said this, he scanned my body. I wanted to throw up. I wanted my cousin, but I didn't want to put him in danger as well. I am grown up, I said sassally. Trying to avoid eye contact again. Trying to play it off as a joke in hopes that he won't touch me.
Starting point is 00:14:05 He moved towards me, so close that I could smell the alcohol in his breath. Nah, you haven't had enough experience to be a grown-up yet. I knew where it was headed. I was already bracing myself in my head, telling my body and mind to prepare. I was convincing my mind that what was about to happen would not make me any less valuable. I was dreading the next steps. I had never done things with anyone.
Starting point is 00:14:34 And now was this about to happen to me? My head was spinning, I was holding back tears. I shut my eyes tight and I could only cry. And then I heard thumping like footsteps, angry footsteps. My mother swung the door open to see this man with a gun to my head, and the other one reaching for my body. Her daughter trembling with her eyes shut tight. I really only heard the confrontation because this all happened so quickly. I opened
Starting point is 00:15:07 my eyes and my uncle was being dragged out by my mother. She was yelling at him in front of everyone, calling him a pervert and a child molester. The police had to be called because my other uncles and my father were charging at him trying to kill him. My mother and siblings tried defending him saying that he was drunk and most likely high, and that we should all forgive him, considering that he was in a bad place. But my parents could not do it. Our family was close-knit, and nobody wanted to ruin that, but they also were not going to let this slide. They begged us not to press charges, and as much as my parents
Starting point is 00:15:46 wanted to, I told them I didn't want to ruin our family, so instead Uncle Thomas was forbidden from seeing any of us. That included his uncles, cousins, nephews, and nieces, and his girlfriend took away visitation rights to their son. I haven't seen him since, and thinking about it has just been crazy since we used to be so close. Then it escalated to that. Regardless, I own a pocket knife now and I won't take anyone's shit, so to the crazy motherfucker that held a gun to my head and tried to assault me. For your safety, let's not meet. Amplify your career through training and development solutions specifically designed for federal government professionals. From courses to help you attain or retain certification to individualized coaching services,
Starting point is 00:16:52 to programs at home, your leadership skills and business acumen. Management concepts optimizes your professional development. Online in-person, individually, or groups. It's training that's measurably better. Learn more at managementconcepts.com. That's managementconcepts.com. I was 9 years old at the time. During the summer, my older brother and I would walk to the local convenience store for our daily snack fix. On this day, my brother was too busy to be
Starting point is 00:17:23 bothered by his little sister. I was upset that he would rather play basketball with his friends and accompany his sister to the convenience store, so I set out on the mission myself. Of course this was against my parents' rules, and I knew better. I had been looking forward to my specialty snack today. A bag of chili-cheese fritos with the melted nacho cheese inside. If you've never tried it, I highly recommend you do. The store was less than a mile away, and it was a straight shot, and we had traveled this
Starting point is 00:17:57 path numerous times, the convenient store-workers knew my name, what could go wrong? I began to walk up the cement path. The street was very busy, but it had a nice sidewalk. Walking against traffic, the cars zipped past me. It was a three-lane street, going both ways, and the speed limit on the street was about 55 miles per hour. I walked past my house, then my neighbor's house. I never realized that there weren't any other homes between my neighbor's house and the convenience store, and I remembered feeling instantly alone. Past my neighbor's house, there was nothing, but an open field roped off with a barbed wire
Starting point is 00:18:40 fence. I considered turning around right then and there, but I convinced myself that I could do this. About half way to my destination, I saw an old station wagon coming down the street. It had its hazard lights on and began slowing down. I figured it was typical car trouble, but I did start to walk a little slower. I was waiting for the man in the driver's seat to get out of the car. But he didn't move. I slowed down my pace a little more as I wasn't that far from the vehicle at this point. I locked eyes with the man, and he motioned with his hand for me to come to the vehicle.
Starting point is 00:19:22 I instantly felt terror, something was wrong, and I didn't know what it was. I turned around, scared, and began walking back to my house. I glanced over my shoulder, and I saw another man in the passenger seat, pop his head up. He must have been hiding. Both doors of the vehicle opened, and the two men quickly jumped out of the car. I froze for a second, and they both darted towards me. I ran towards my house as quickly as possible. I ran and ran. I didn't look back for fear that it would slow me down.
Starting point is 00:19:58 I quickly hopped through the barbed wire fence thinking I would be safer on this side. I was little, and it was a lot easier for me to get through the fence than them. I scratched my arm on one of the barbs, but I couldn't feel a thing as my adrenaline was rushing so quickly. While running, I noticed the station wagon sped off, right past me. I waited until I couldn't see it anymore. Then hopped back through the fence. Still running, a small red car pulled beside me and yelled, I saw what happened, where do you live, let me take you home. I was almost to my neighbor's house at that
Starting point is 00:20:38 time. I lied and pointed at their house and yelled, this is my home, leave me alone. In my head I was terrified. I felt this was some kind of game, and that he was working with the other men to try and kidnap me. The red car quickly sped away. I finally made it home. I busted through the door of the house and grabbed the phone off of the wall and dialed 911. My father came into the room and was asking me questions, but I couldn't answer him. I was so out of breath. I did my best to explain to the operator that I was almost kidnapped and described them in and vehicle to the operator.
Starting point is 00:21:20 I was starting to hyperventilate, so my father grabbed the phone from me and gave the operator our address. We hung up and he tried to call me down and comfort me. The cops arrived quickly after that. By then I had caught my breath and I was able to give them a better account of the situation. While outside with the cops, the small red car passed by very slowly. I began to freak out and I yelled to the cops, that's him. How dare they come back and try to get me again. The red car just wanted to know
Starting point is 00:21:55 where I lived so they could come back. I was terrified. The car passed us, but then it made a U-turn and began slowly approaching our driveway. My dad was screaming at the car, ready to fight. I remember the cops trying to get a handle on my dad while also screaming at the man in the red car to stop his vehicle. It turns out the red car had seen what happened. He was a young man with an infant in a car seat in the back of his car. He had seen the attempted kidnapping and followed the station wagon until he could get the license plate number. He was genuinely trying to help me.
Starting point is 00:22:38 I gave the license plate number to the cops and the station wagon ended up being a stolen car. I was very appreciative that he had put himself and his child in danger, just to help me. Nothing came of that incident. Since the car was stolen, it couldn't be linked to any particular individual. I was so terrified and had nightmares about it at least once a week. Two years later we moved to a neighboring city. I felt comfort being away from that house. My friend invited me over to her house, but my parents weren't home at that time. I knew they wouldn't mind if I went, but they weren't home to take me.
Starting point is 00:23:22 Being far from my old home, I felt that it would be fine to walk to her house. It was only two blocks away, and I could take the side streets or jump through the neighborhood yards and stay off the main road and make it there just fine. Alone again, I began trespassing through my neighbor's yards. My head was on swivel though. I was very aware of my surroundings. I was almost to my friend's house when I saw a station wagon driving on the side of the street near me. I thought to myself, absolutely no way is this the same car from two years prior. You're just freaking out there is no way. I stopped and stared at the vehicle.
Starting point is 00:24:06 Does he see me? No. The car began to slow down and made a U-turn. I instantly panicked. There was a church near me that had children outside on the playground. I ran over to them and blended in with the crowd as much as I could. The station wagon turned onto my street and drove very slowly by us. It had to be him.
Starting point is 00:24:31 It had to be. When the station wagon passed, I darted to my friend's house. I was much closer to hers than mine. I told my friend's mom what happened, and we played inside or supervised in the backyard for the rest of the day. To this day, I don't know if it was just a strange coincidence, or if it really was the men from before. But I didn't go out alone, again, until I was much older.
Starting point is 00:24:59 To the strange men in the station wagon, Let's never meet again. I think I was nine. It was my birthday, so I had just turned 9. I celebrated my birthday the night that it happened. My neighbors are travelers, so they were out of their house a lot. My family watches the house often. It's important that you know how the house looks. Our backyards are very close together so the fences touch. They have a pretty big front yard, but the passage to their front yard is very narrow. So, at night,
Starting point is 00:25:53 it's very dark there. In their front yard, there is a pond with some fish, and since I was the girl who liked fishing, I often went there to look at the fish. Our neighborhood is very quiet, so it was a big shock that our neighbor's house got robbed. They had installed security cameras all over the house. Well, let's get into the story. My birth they went really well, and everyone was happy. It was probably 9.30pm and it was already dark outside when my mom saw a dark shadow in the backyard. She had a few drinks so she thought that she had imagined it. The evening went on and by now it was 10.30pm. My grandma was leaving, so I was going to wave to her goodbye.
Starting point is 00:26:46 But since it was dark, my mom went outside with me. My grandma went to her car, and I waved. But while I was waiting for her to speed off, I felt uneasy like someone was watching me. I looked at the front yard of the neighbor's house, but it was too dark for me to see anything. I then asked my mom if I could look at the fish. But she said no, because it was very dark and it was late, so we went back inside. I went to sleep and I didn't hear anything unusual that night. The next morning, my mom called me and my sister down to sit at the dining table. She looked worried, so I asked her what was wrong.
Starting point is 00:27:30 She then told me something that, at the time I didn't really understand all too well. She said that the neighbor's house was robbed. She didn't really tell me anything because I was too young to understand, but when I was 12, she told me something that made shivers go down my spine. The burglars tried to get in the neighbor's house by going through our backyard, so the dark shadow that my mom saw was actually one of the men. But when they couldn't get in, they went to the front door. When they were done, I was visible on the cameras in front of the house. But I wasn't the only one. The
Starting point is 00:28:12 two men were right around the corner from the front lawn. If my mom had let me go to look at the fish after waving my grandma goodbye, I don't know what would have happened to me. So to the men that robbed my kind neighbor's house, let's not meet. Don't let the summer heat bake in road grime any longer, hand to your nearby Zips Car Wash to clean up and cool off. And listen to this, now when you buy your next car wash online at zipscarwash.com, you pay even less. That's right, we save you money off our amazing washes, plus you also get to skip the line and use our Express Lane service.
Starting point is 00:29:07 When you're ready to shine, skip the line and save time and money with your online wash code. Find your nearest location at zipscarwash.com, then drive and shine today. I'm a single mom of a three-year-old girl. I'm blessed that I have the most amazing parents who live about 20 minutes away from me, who keep her when I need them to. I live in the city next to their rural area, and you have to go down a curvy wooded rural road to get to their house out in the country. My little girl had spent the night with them the night before, and I headed to their house
Starting point is 00:29:46 the next day around lunch to eat with them and bring her back to my house. It was a pretty day, sunny, a lot of bikers out, so I was on high alert driving there. As anyone speeding and not paying attention could easily hit a biker, which was a big fear of mine. I got there fine, we ate lunch, and then we headed back to my house driving on the rural road, which I know like the back of my hand, and typically speed on, knowing when to slow down and take certain curves, etc. My little girl requested that I put her favorite song on in the car, so
Starting point is 00:30:26 I was kind of watching her sing as she sat in her car seat in the back of the car through the rear-view mirror. As we drove back home, I caught a glimpse of something blue up ahead, just on the edge of the woods near the road. Now, I was going fast enough that the image didn't quite set in as I approached, then passed it, but right after passing it my brain finally processed that that thing was a blue-older car. It was flipped upside down and rammed into a tree. The road was empty with only one house nearby, and there weren't any ambulances or cars near.
Starting point is 00:31:07 So, at first I was like what the hell? Truly, the wreck didn't look like it had just happened, but I knew something was wrong in my gut. I pulled my phone out and dialed 911 as I kept driving, not fully processing that this had just happened. This is 911, what's your emergency? Hey, I'm driving down this road I gave her the name of the road, and I just passed a blue car flipped upside down, it looks like they ran into a tree.
Starting point is 00:31:38 There wasn't anyone visible near the car, and no other cars were around. I'm not sure if the person is on the scene or what. What is your exact location? Is there a house close by the wreck? Try to find the nearest address. I'm sending an ambulance out now. Was anyone visibly hurt or present at the scene? No, I didn't see anyone when I passed, but I'm not sure. I didn't get a super good look, I'm about two minutes down the road past the car now. Let me turn around and go back. I have my three-year-old girl in the car with me, just letting you know. I don't necessarily want her to see anything traumatizing, but I'll do what I need to, to find anyone.
Starting point is 00:32:21 The car looks super bad, by the way. It's okay, don't get out of the car, keep your doors locked, just see if you can find the nearest address, and I will stay on the phone with you the whole time. So I turned around in the nearest driveway and drove back, speeding with my heart beating fast, as I now realized someone clearly might be severely hurt, and I just passed them by not thinking I would be the first to arrive on the scene. I was scared, but in action mode, ready to deal with whatever I was potentially about to see inside that vehicle.
Starting point is 00:32:57 When I got to the house, I thought was closest to the wreck. The conversation picked back up with the operator. Okay, I think I'm almost to the car. I see a mailbox here, hang on. I gave her all of the information I could to help locate where I was. And then I said, I see a car right here coming up on my left across from the sand pit looking area. It's a blue older four door car. Okay, great. An ambulance will be dispatched. It won't be long before they get there. Do you see anyone near or in the vehicle?
Starting point is 00:33:33 Oh my god, wait, yes. I see a man around 25 to 30 years old. He's standing in the middle of the road. I pull up next to the man with my doors locked, rolled my window down with my phone still to my ear, and 911 listening to me speak. I immediately said, oh my God, are you okay? Is that your car?" The guy is slurring his words a bit, clearly very injured but still standing in not in critical condition. He says, yeah, I'm fine. That's when I notice a large wound on the side of his head with blood all over it. I say, oh my God, you're bleeding.
Starting point is 00:34:15 You aren't okay. I'm on the phone with 9-1-1 right now. They're sending an ambulance. Don't move. I hear the 9-1-1 operator asking me if he was okay or if he was hurt. I describe what I'm seeing and I see the guy's face go from concerned about getting help to fully panicked. He says, is that 911 on the phone? Hang up. I just need you to drive me up the road right now, hang up the phone.
Starting point is 00:34:46 The operator hears him say this and she says, is your daughter in the vehicle with you still? I say, yes, I can't drive this man anywhere. I'm not letting him in my car, especially with my little girl. Meanwhile, my daughter is silent in the back seat, taking everything that's happening in. That's when I look down and notice the man isn't wearing shoes. He's standing with bare feet
Starting point is 00:35:11 and there's a large wet stain on his blue jeans, which I immediately realize is urine. I can smell alcohol on him and he isn't even standing that close to me. Now I work in the medical field and I deal with traumatic brain injury patients often. So I immediately wondered if maybe he had some kind of brain damage from the impact
Starting point is 00:35:32 and began telling the operator, oh no, he isn't okay, I think he has hurt. I look at the man, staying as calm and matter of fact as I can. And I tell him, I'm sorry, but I can't drive you anywhere. My little girl is in the back seat and I don't feel comfortable doing that. I didn't see anyone in the vehicle when I passed, so I already called 911. I think you need to let them come.
Starting point is 00:35:57 I can't let you in my car, but I will park over there and make sure that you're okay until they get here. The man is visibly panicked, and now seems pissed off. He starts yelling, tell them not to fucking come, hang up the phone. My heart literally stopped beating. I began slowly and gently, pressing on the gas, rolling past him to indicate that I'm leaving. The 911 operator in my ear says, pretend to tell me not to come,
Starting point is 00:36:27 pretend to hang up, but keep me on the line. So that's exactly what I do. Hey, I think he's okay. He doesn't seem like he needs any medical help. He lives nearby. So, actually don't send an ambulance out. Sorry for the miscommunication. Okay, thanks so much. Then I pretended to hang up. I put my phone face down in the passenger seat. And amplify your career through training and development solutions specifically designed
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Starting point is 00:37:15 Learn more at managementconcepts.com. That's managementconcepts.com. I told him that I was going to go, but that I hoped he was going to be okay. That's when I noticed his pocket bulging with something silver peeking out. I knew right then this man was armed, and I had to get the hell out of there. I smiled and said that I was sorry I couldn't help, then quickly rolled my window up and sped off, turning around further down the road and passing him again at around 65-70 miles per hour on a 45-mile per hour road.
Starting point is 00:37:51 I was crying hysterically and I picked up the phone to tell the 911 operator what had just happened. She said, It's okay, you did the right thing, you played it cool and appeased him. We have the address and an ambulance is less than five minutes away. As she asked me for my name and identifying information, I see and hear sirens further at the head. Thank God for the 911 operator coaching me through the situation. I still don't know what happened to the man, but I do know that he was clearly intoxicated, dangerous, and fully panicked about the police
Starting point is 00:38:25 or an ambulance, which is a scary combination that will make people do things without thinking clearly in an instant. My little girl asked, is the man heard? I saw his head. I just said, yeah, I think he's okay, he just got a boo-boo. I think he was playing and bumped into a tree. A nurse is going to give him a band-aid. I'm sure glad that we could help him. She was satisfied and smiled, continuing to listen to the music and sing when I turned the radio back on.
Starting point is 00:38:57 A terrifying and creepy encounter to say the least. My story happened to me just a few weeks ago. I had received a call from a number that I didn't recognize, so I did what all millennials do and I let it go to voicemail. To my surprise, the caller left one. The message was from a man with a southern accent stating that he was a cop and our county. He was trying to get a hold of me. Intrigued, I looked him up. Sure enough, he was a cop in our county. He was trying to get a hold of me. Intrigued, I looked him up. Sure enough, he was a cop in our county. And knowing that he was a real cop, I started going through the possibilities of why he would be calling. Could my parents have been in
Starting point is 00:39:56 an accident, and he was trying to get a hold of me since I'm their emergency contact? Could it be about the case I was supposed to be a witness for? I called my parents first and they were fine, so I figured it had to be about the court case. I was called on for a custody battle for one of my students, but was excused due to my grandfather being an ICU. I called the number back and the man was very friendly. His voice matching the picture of him online. After the pleasantries, he stated that the reason he was calling was due to me missing court back in April, the same time the custody battle was taking place. I had told him that I was originally excused, so I was confused as to why he was calling. He said that he was calling because
Starting point is 00:40:47 I had apparently been selected for a federal jury case and was absent for roll call. I told him that I had never received notice of said jury duty, and still being as friendly as can be, he asked if my neighborhood has been known for male thieves, or if there was another reason why I wouldn't have received my notification. After we go back and forth a bit, he goes on to say that I have a citation out and can either pay it or serve jail time. Let me go ahead and preface this by saying that I'm a big rule follower. I was a student athlete from childhood through
Starting point is 00:41:26 college. Rules were ingrained in my being. I do not like to be in trouble ever, and I've always had a hard time when I get in trouble. He says I have three options. One, hang up the phone now, and it would be taken as non-compliant, and I would have a warrant out from my arrest. Two, come to the Sheriff's Office, and be put in a holding cell until the proper paperwork went through to clear my name. Three, pay the $900 fine. Now I'm panicking.
Starting point is 00:42:04 What the hell? This is insane. All of this for missing jury duty. He says that he can see that I have a clean record, so he's acting very apologetic that this is happening to me. But he says that he will try and help as best as he can. At this point my husband has woken up from his couch nap since he's heard me talking about spending $9.00 and has come to the doorway of the office to listen in. Now here's where all of the red flags really start coming into play.
Starting point is 00:42:35 I obviously didn't want to go to jail, so option 3 is sounding like my best bet. He says that to pay the fine, I have to go to this specific federal kiosk in town, and then he gives me the address. He says that it's cash only, and that I will be given a receipt after payment, and the receipt is what I turn into the sheriff's office. I know what you're thinking. This is a scam. While my gut was telling me something was off,
Starting point is 00:43:06 I was still on the fence. I mean, this is a real cop. I researched him before I even called him back. Trying to wrap my head around this, I tell him that my husband will be joining me on this trip. His demeanor changes a bit. Second red flag. He covers by saying that this federal case is confidential and I'm not allowed to discuss the case with anyone else. While odd, I guess it made sense to me.
Starting point is 00:43:36 I say that I'm uncomfortable going to this place alone and ask for a deputy to follow me since my husband can't join me. He says he can't do that either. That's when I'm really starting to push back and ask questions. He starts to get angry. My fast-acting husband gets a hold of a family friend who is a lawyer and starts filling her in. Meanwhile, I'm still on the phone with this guy and trying to mouth words to my husband. He catches on and keeps warning me that he's losing patience and is taking actions or lack thereof as non-compliant. Trying to stay calm, I try to reason with him that a woman going alone to an unknown location is very sketchy and
Starting point is 00:44:26 Ask if there was any other way. He can hear my husband talking to me in shouts, Your boyfriend is going to fuck this whole thing up for you. That's it. I've lost my patience. I can hear some muttering in the background. I hear him say, yeah, go pick her up. Talks about my height, my age, says that I'm female. Then repeats my street address.
Starting point is 00:44:47 Now I'm full-blown panicking. I scream at him to wait as I have him on speaker and my lawyer on speaker on my husband's phone. She asks him for his badge number. He gives it to her. She asks if he has a warrant and he says no. She asks if he has a detainment order. He says yes. Meanwhile, I can still hear all of this muttering and movement on his end, still giving orders to some men to come and get me. She tells me to hang up with him, so I do.
Starting point is 00:45:20 She then, in her serious, southern, no bullshit tone, tells us to get to her house now. We peel out of our- When you download the Croger app, you have easy access to savings every day. Shop weekly sales and get personalized coupons to get the most value out of every trip every time, whether you shop in-store or online. Download the Croger app now to save big. Croger, fresh for everyone, must have a
Starting point is 00:45:45 digital account to redeem offers. Restrictions may apply, see site for details. Save big on your favorites with the Buy, Fiver more, save a dollar each sale. Simply buy five or more participating items and save a dollar each with your card. Kruger, fresh for everyone. Our house and race to hers, going through backgrounds. Just a minute away from her house, she calls to tell us that she had called the Sheriff's Office and found out that he's a fraud and he's been using this scam recently in our area. Still very shaken up, we don't go home for a while.
Starting point is 00:46:17 I call an officer, I'm friends with in our town and she tells me that he's been doing this for years and they haven't been able to catch him. She advises me not to take the same root home for a while, just in case. After I calmed down a bit, I remember the address that he gave me for this bullshit kiosk. I look it up and it's not a kiosk. It's a random dirt plot of land, just out of sight from the road. It's a random dirt plot of land, just out of sight from the road. I immediately realized that not only was this going to be a robbery, but possibly a kidnapping as well. The thought still gives me chills. I kick myself when I retell this story because when I say it out loud, the red flags are obvious.
Starting point is 00:47:01 But you have to remember, this guy did his homework. He had an answer for everything and all his answers made just enough sense for me to stay the slightest bit convinced. I'm a teacher, and I'm well known in my town, so going to jail would ruin me, and he played right into that scare tactic with me. I'm thankful for my fast-acting husband, and our family friend for keeping me safe that day. I don't even want to think of what could have happened if I went to that address.
Starting point is 00:47:32 So to the asshole impersonating a cop to try and lure me to an unknown location, I hope you pray on, never meet you. Don't forget to stick around after the music if you're patron for your extended ad for a version of this week's episode. If you'd like to get access head over to patreon.com forward slash let's not meet podcast to sign up today. This week you have heard. He held a gun to my head by a listener that asked to remain anonymous. The station wagon by Heather Lee.
Starting point is 00:48:18 Birthday night by Anook. Being a good Samaritan almost put me and my little girl in danger by a listener that asked to remain anonymous. And finally, Imposter Cop by Megan. All of the stories you've heard this week were narrated and produced with the permission of their respective authors. Let's not meet the true horror podcast is not associated with Reddit or any other message boards online. And as always, if you have a story to share, make sure you send it to Let's Not Meet Stories at gmail.com.
Starting point is 00:48:49 And don't forget to check out the new episodes of my other podcasts, odd trails, and the old time radio cast at crypticcountypodcasts.com or wherever you get your podcasts. And if you want to donate to help us get our TV pilot made, we still have some time left on the Indie Go-Go. Check that out at Let'sNotMeetTV.com. You can get access to all kinds of great perks, depending on what tier you choose to donate at. I want to give a special shout out and thanks to
Starting point is 00:49:15 Mary for donating at the associate producer credit tier. That was a huge donation. We met at the Mid-Summer Scream Horror Convention just last week, we hung out after the show, and chatted about the TV pilot. She was really excited and wanted to help out any way that she could, and we're very thankful for it. I just wanted to extend our gratitude from everyone that's working on the pilot. We're excited to be working with you on this. And one last time, if you want to donate, that's Let'sNotMeTV.com or just follow the link
Starting point is 00:49:43 in the show notes. I'll see you all next week for a brand new episode of Let's Not Meet. Stay safe. It was 1991 and it was a hot summer evening in Midtown, Memphis. I was a female in my early 20s at the time, and I was meeting some friends at a local time. Don't let the summer heat bake in road grime any longer, hand to your nearby Zips Car Wash to clean up and cool off. And listen to this, now when you buy your next car wash online at zipscarwash.com, you pay even less. That's right, we save you money off our amazing washes plus you also get to skip the line
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