The WFFC Thief.

[Casurf1978 0]

I'm hellof a newbie in this sport so excuse the following. If he is truly 'sick' then why is he still jumping? I'm guessing you are referring to a mental disorder. That being said, couldn't his condition make him a danger to himself and others. Again excuse me if I have stepped out of bounds with these questions.

[hexadecimal 0]

This guy is a skydiver?

Having him steal from me would be the least of my worries if I saw him at the DZ... Imagine what he'd be capable of in the air?

[lewmonst 0]

Illness? Mental maybe, but he was physically quite healthy when I jumped with him and took this photo: http://www.freefall.com/images/webcam/dailyphotos/06aug/eimg_0852_jpg.htm
He even bought an 8x10. I think his name was Eric. He had a really nice lens on his still camera, a fish-eye, but he flew kinda far away... Anyway, I had no idea at the time that he had been stealing of course, or I would not have accepted money from him. Next day I see him being taken into the office for questioning...

I don't care what's wrong with him, nothing justifies stealing. And especially from a fellow skydiver. Karma will come back to him.

Something I love about the convention is usually people find stuff and turn it in. I once had an altimeter returned to manifest that I'd dropped.

peace
lew

http://www.exitshot.com

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

Until I get overridden, this thread is going to stay in place. I find it important that people be able to put a face and a name to known thieves in this small community of ours. There is positively no excuse, medical or otherwise, which can quantify this, or any other thief's actions. While these deplorable actions are not ever going to completely go away in this society, we as participants at these events ought to have every tool at our disposal for identifying such criminals. And believe me, this guy is a criminal. Make no mistake: this guy DID steal from people and DID get caught; there is no speculation here.

Your friend could have had this go very-differently from him had he been caught in some of the other tents at Rantoul, I can promise you that. He should consider himself very lucky in that regard.

Any of you who call this person "friend" who knew of his "condition" ought to be ashamed of yourselves for not keeping this guy in check.

Chuck Blue
D-12501

[Sen.Blutarsky 0]

Caveat: I'm neither a medical doctor nor do I play one on TV.

Kleptomania

Kleptomania involves a failure to resist impulses to steal items that are not needed or sought for personal use or monetary value. Kleptomania should be distinguished from shoplifting, in which the action is usually well-planned and motivated by need or monetary gain. Some clinicians view kleptomania as part of the obsessive-compulsive spectrum of disorders, reasoning that many individuals experience the impulse to steal as an alien, unwanted intrusion into their mental state. Other evidence suggests that kleptomania may be related to, or a variant of, mood disorders, such as depression. The main diagnostic features are:

*The person repeatedly yields to the impulse to steal objects that are needed neither for personal use nor for their monetary worth.

*Just before the theft, the patient experiences increasing tension.

*At the time of theft, the patient feels gratification, pleasure or relief.

*These thefts are committed neither out of anger or revenge nor in response to delusions or hallucinations.

*The thefts are not better explained by Antisocial Personality Disorder, Conduct Disorder or a Manic Episode.

Associated Features:
Depressed or Guilty (concerning the thefts)
Major Depressive Disorder
Anxiety.

Differential Diagnosis:
Some disorders have similar or even the same symptoms. The clinician, therefore, in his/her diagnostic attempt, has to differentiate against the following disorders which need to be ruled out to establish a precise diagnosis.

An Ordinary Criminal Act.
Bipolar Mood Disorder.
Conduct Disorder.
Antisocial Personality Disorder.
Manic Episode in response to Delusions or Dementia.

Cause:
Most person's with this disorder seem to be women; their average age is about 35 and the duration of illness is roughly 16 years. Some individuals report the onset of kleptomania as early as age five. While we do not know the causes of kleptomania, there is indirect evidence linking it with abnormalities in the brain chemical serotonin. Stressors such as major losses may also precipitate kleptomanic behavior.

Treatment:
Treatment will include counseling and psychotherapeutic approaches and in some cases combined with drug therapy.

Counseling and Psychotherapy:
A variety of psychotherapies have been used to treat this disorder, but it is not clear which one is best. Family therapy may also be important, since this disorder can be very disruptive to families.

Pharmacotherapy:
Prozac, an antidepressant that boosts levels of serotonin, has been found useful in some cases of kleptomania.

Source: http://www.psychnet-uk.com/dsm_iv/kleptomania.htm

[Fast 0]

Quote

Caveat: I'm neither a medical doctor nor do I play one on TV.

Kleptomania

Kleptomania involves a failure to resist impulses to steal items that are not needed or sought for personal use or monetary value. Kleptomania should be distinguished from shoplifting, in which the action is usually well-planned and motivated by need or monetary gain. Some clinicians view kleptomania as part of the obsessive-compulsive spectrum of disorders, reasoning that many individuals experience the impulse to steal as an alien, unwanted intrusion into their mental state. Other evidence suggests that kleptomania may be related to, or a variant of, mood disorders, such as depression. The main diagnostic features are:

If he does suffer from this or any other disorder that would cause him to steal for some reason the best thing for him is to stay out of places like rantoul.

I agree with everyone else, if this guy is your "friend" then you should of known better and done more to help keep him out of trouble. If the problem is so bad that it is not controllable he should be in an institution.

As someone who has recently had quite a bit of valuables stolen from me ($1100+ at the DZ, none the less) I don't find it easy to sympathize with this persons problem. I also think that this is a good thread to show people around the world who this guy is so you can be aware if he shows up at your DZ.


Skydivers are trusting we leave so many valuables and life saving things laying around the DZ that it is scary. We need to keep better track of our stuff and not be so trusting.

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[Sen.Blutarsky 0]

I've never met the chap and I despise thieves no less than you do. I'm also trusting at the dropzone, where I leave my gear unattended and sometimes permit people who I only by a moniker or feature such as blue hair borrow gear based on their association with a person with whom I am familiar and whose judgment I trust.

But we have a friend who is chairwoman of Light the Darkness, an organization which helps the mentally ill and their families, and she introduced me to a klepto once who had received treatment and was rehabilitated. Those facts had a ring of similarity with the ones described here and so I contributed the information. That is all.


Bluto

[Samurai136 0]

Yeah, medication and some cognitive therapy may help this guy. I understand.

I also understand B.F. Skinner's theories on Behavior modification.

http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/skinner.html

I especially like the quote at the end of the article:

Quote

The bad do bad because the bad is rewarded. The good do good because the good is rewarded. There is no true freedom or dignity. Right now, our reinforcers for good and bad behavior are chaotic and out of our control -- it’s a matter of having good or bad luck with your “choice” of parents, teachers, peers, and other influences. Let’s instead take control, as a society, and design our culture in such a way that good gets rewarded and bad gets extinguished! With the right behavioral technology, we can design culture.

Both freedom and dignity are examples of what Skinner calls mentalistic constructs -- unobservable and so useless for a scientific psychology. Other examples include defense mechanisms, the unconscious, archetypes, fictional finalisms, coping strategies, self-actualization, consciousness, even things like hunger and thirst.

Instead, Skinner recommends that psychologists concentrate on observables, that is, the environment and our behavior in it.

All the understanding and forgiveness of this guy's condition aren't helping him. They are re-inforcing bad behavior. If he doesn't choose to change his behavior he may find "social structures" placed upon him that will make those changes easier for him.

Ken

"Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian
Ken

[FrenchyDiver 0]

And according to this thread in the Spanish forum, clicky his name is Eric G Peterson from Kents Hills Maine, and is know to jump at Skydive New England. He post here and his user name is dex

Hispas Brothers President
HISPA #2,

[billvon 2,392]

>but it still doesn't mean he will get sympathy from the masses.

Well, he gets sympathy from me. I've met some very stupid and very sick people, and they are not always responsible for their actions. As long as I know that, I can deal with it, and can accept them for who they are. Some are pretty good people. Keep in mind that we all have our flaws; even people with serious flaws can be worthwhile to know.

[mdrejhon 8]

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He post here and his user name is dex

Gee, according to dex's profile, he is a D license holder and has his own personal website (with his own WFFC pics). Is that really him?

[billvon 2,392]

>The bad do bad because the bad is rewarded. The good do good because the good is rewarded.

True usually, not generally true for people with physical/neural/psychological deficits. Try beating a stutterer every time he stutters; you won't cure him. Reward a Down syndrome kid every time he does well in class; his IQ is not going to go up.

[The111 0]

Is that hard to believe?

Looks kinda like him to me, from the avatar. And I know what he looks like, since I will never forget introducing myself to him at the beer tent and having him dry hump my leg (instead of shake my hand) and proceed to tell about 30 bad jokes. Which I'll admit was amusing...

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[scrublink 0]

I am a New England jumper and know people who are close to this guy. The "short story" is he stopped his regular treatment and kinda just fell off the wagon so to speak. His friends that weren't with him at the time had no way of knowing about his worsening condition.

For the record, I am not condoning what he did. Just letting people know a little more information. It would be really easy to hate this guy (from what his friends tell me) if this is all you know about him. Mental illness is a strange thing, a lot of people take their meds for a while, then they think that since things are going fine they don't have to take them anymore. Then things like this happen.
I agree with Chuck that he is lucky that he got caught by the people that figured this out. There are a lot of people (myself included) that are more inclined to shoot first and to hell with any questions.

I hope he gets the treatment he needs. Another issure that I am unqualified to speak on would be his continued jumping. If this can happen, lord only knows what could happen on a skydive.

Please remember that the above info is "third hand".

[carbonezone 0]

Wierd kid man ......he was hanging out in the Cafe' quite a bit. Thought he was off-key even before I realized that he was the cock-knocker that was ripping people.......RIP young man!!!!
<>
Tami

[wmw999 2,120]

Quote

Mental illness is a strange thing, a lot of people take their meds for a while, then they think that since things are going fine they don't have to take them anymore. Then things like this happen.

From what I understand, that is the story of many people's life. Just like some ADD folks don't really want to take meds because it robs them of "the edge," and folks with schizophrenia don't like some of the drugs because it makes them stupid and fat.

And, of course, so many people tell them that if they were just strong enough they could do it without drugs...

Doesn't make stealing OK. Doesn't make him less weird, and it doesn't mean I wouldn't be pissed if he took something of mine.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[windcatcher 0]

sorry, but if he really is that "sick", should he be jumping?

Mother to the cutest little thing in the world...

[nate_1979 9]

Quote

sorry, but if he really is that "sick", should he be jumping?

Depending on the condition he could still be "safe" in the sky.... All I know is that I would not want someone with these habbits hanging out on my home DZ... This guy needs to get back on his meds or treatment, or stay away from the DZs IMO...

I like being able to leave my shit out and not worry about it.

FGF #???
I miss the sky...
There are 10 types of people in the world... those who understand binary and those who don't.

[airtwardo 6]

I like being able to leave my shit out and not worry about it.


***

Sorry Nate...

But the last few years have taught me, you can do one or the other...not both.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[Squeak 17]

I quietly read through this entire thread and the more I read the more it sadend me
For a bunch of people who are so called brothers and sisters, you are an extremely intolerant group, with the exception of Bill I see very little brotherly or sisterly love from anyone in this thread.


Friends in need are still friends

I truely hope no one close to you people suffers from any mental illness, that is not well tollerated by others. It would be a shame to have you walk a mile in this guys (and his friends) shoes

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[grue 1]

So true. I left my digital camera (just a little $200 nikon point+shoot, thankfully not the SLR) at my DZ once. I was already 20 minutes away, so I called, and had one of the guys put it in the staff locker. When I next came back, I unlocked the locker, and it wasn't there. So someone with access to the club/staff locker took it. THAT really made me lose a lot of faith in my club, and now everything stays in my car when I'm in the air.

cavete terrae.

[kelpdiver 2]

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I quietly read through this entire thread and the more I read the more it sadend me
For a bunch of people who are so called brothers and sisters, you are an extremely intolerant group, with the exception of Bill I see very little brotherly or sisterly love from anyone in this thread.

Gasp - intolerance of our brothers and sisters getting ripped of? Instead we should live and let steal?

Friends of mine who have had their wallets stolen, aside from being out money, had the joy of replacing all the cards, fighting identity theft, and nearly losing their first home mortage.

In the less dramatic, losing $100 in boogie money is a big downer, and would affect your behavior long after the event. And how do you get home afterwards? Even before 9/11, flying without ID was somewhat difficult.

I'd hate to share the sky with someone that dry humps legs as 'Hello' too.

[Squeak 17]

I'M REFERING TO THE INTOLERANCE OF THE PERSON NOT THE ACT.
But I'm certain an intelligent person like yourself knew that anyway and you were just being pedantic

(edit: sorry about the caps)

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[Keith 0]

His webpage also points to his online auctions and online store

Keith

Don't Fuck with me Keith - J. Mandeville

[happythoughts 0]

Quote

Erik Peterson's Computer and Electronics Store!
If we dont have what you are looking for we will get it just ask!

Somehow, that's a little eerie, all things considered. Someone could be running a fencing operation and laying serious mental-health bs on his "friends" to stay out of jail.

If someone knows of a friend with certain tendencies, they need to do one of two things.

1. Manage the situation and take responsibility for their friends actions. (Keep them away from temptation or pay for stolen property).

If a friend is going to steal, they should be made to stay home.

2. Don't expect the rest of the world to be as forgiving. Life isn't all that easy for the rest of us.

Skydiving brotherhood is a two-way street. Stealing pretty much guts any semblance of that. This is theft. I am less forgiving than almost everybody when it comes to this.