One thing that our group has joked about a lot on investigations is passers-by (and possibly police officers) seeing our flashlights flickering in whatever old building we’re investigating and thinking we were burglars. And honestly, would anyone blame them for calling the police, or police officers for investigating? We’ve investigated a number of old buildings, businesses, museums, even residential homes, many times when the owners were not present. To someone who didn’t know what was going on inside, it would look very suspicious. And that’s exactly what happened to one team of paranormal investigators in Gettysburg on Thanksgiving night. Officer Thomas Knaper reported that he was passing Servant’s Old Tyme Photos, 237 Steinwehr Avenue, when he saw the front door of the business closing and then “a flashlight being used inside” when no other lights were on.
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Thanksgiving night, three people went searching for ghosts in a Civil War-era building in Gettysburg they suspect is haunted.
But when the trio shined their flashlights in the building, a passing police officer noticed, went inside, and the ghost hunters got busted for burglary instead.
The Gettysburg Times said Tuesday that the ghost tour ended with two tourists and their guide being detained at gunpoint.
Police called the building owner, who confirmed Gettysburg Ghost Tours had permission to use the purportedly haunted structure.
The building is where the first Union general killed in the Battle of Gettysburg was brought after being fatally wounded. The owner of the Victorian-style photography studio that occupies the building allowed the “ghost hunt” and declined to comment.
Police are investigating to determine whether burglary charges will stick.
I can’t imagine the burglary charges sticking here, if the group had permission from the building’s owner. It’s not a crime if you are given permission to be on the premises. Still, it’s good to see that nobody was hurt in what was an honest case of mistaken identity.
When I used to go with a group, I would call the Police and just let them know what and where we were going. Since I was on the Sheriffs posse, I knew some of them. It saved us the trouble of something like this happening.
@KBill Good call, Bill. Unfortunately I don’t think it would work with larger police departments like the NYPD LOL
@Jason Stroming
You got that right. We were in a town of about 120,000, and the Sheriff and myself went to high school together.