A Story of Patience and Persistence

A doctor smiles while looking directly at the camera.The doctor we were trying to serve had been an enigma for over a month. Our servers made several unsuccessful attempts to serve him at his office in White Plains, MD. His door was always locked and no sound heard from within. The receptionist in the doctor’s office across the hall only knew that he maintained an office there, but did not know his schedule.

We took over the job and attempted service at his residence, but the home was visibly vacant and none of the neighbors were home. We returned the next day to interview the neighbors and, still, nobody was home; but that evening we returned and found two of his neighbors home. Neither knew where he moved to, but one of them said he had been evicted for not paying his mortgage.

We proceeded to the Bowie Post Office and tried to walk a Postal Tracer(USPS - document requesting forwarding information) through to the Postmaster-General, but the manager said she would not give me the information but would mail the subject’s forwarding address to me. Ten days later we received the USPS Postal Tracer and found that his forwarding address was a PO Box at the Bowie Post Office.

We attempted service at his three other offices in Laurel, MD, Washington DC, and Waldorf MD. All those offices were vacated by the subject. When we attempted to serve the documents at another office in Glendale, MD, the door was locked. The receptionist in the office across the hall said the doctor did maintain an office there, but she only saw him on Fridays.

Our concern was that the doctor was probably in one of his two offices and just not answering the door, so we skip traced his vehicle make model and tag number to stakeout it out. We ran him through Maryland Motor Vehicles Administration and found no vehicles registered to him.
We returned to the original address in White Plains, MD, and again found his door locked and heard no sound from within. All the medical offices on his floor were closed. As we were about to leave, we heard voices from the dentist’s office at the end of the hall, so we went there and knocked. No one responded, so we knocked a little harder and longer, eventually, a woman answered the door. We were carrying a box and clipboard pretending to have a delivery and asked if the doctor still occupied the suite at the other end of the hall. She said, yes, and looked out her window and said his silver Mercedes SUV was parked behind the building right now.

We went to the back of the building and noted his license plate and parked my car in a lot 100 yards away on the side of the building at 5:30 pm, and waited. Two hours later it started getting dark, so Tony Snesko, CEO positioned hi car at the far end of the parking lot in front of the building but in a place where he could see his front windows and his vehicle parked at the back corner of the building.

All the lights were on in his office and for a while, Tony worried that he might be living in his office and would not be leaving. At 8:30 pm, the subject started walking around in the office. He turned off the front and back office lights but left the center office lights on, and, at this point, Tony was almost sure he was spending the night there.

Much to his surprise, at 8:50 pm, the headlights to his vehicle turned on. Tony sped across the lot with his lights turned off and managed to get around behind him and block him in as he started backing out. He again started to back out, probably hoping Tony would move. But instead, Tony immediately exited my vehicle and approached his door. As he opened it, we informed him he was being served with legal documents. The doctor took the documents in hand.

As Tony drove away, he suddenly realized that we may have to serve him again on related documents regarding our client’s case and he would be much more difficult to serve next time around, and it would be much easier if we knew where he lived. So, he decided to follow the subject home after service was perfected.

The doctor drove to a gas station and filled his tank and then headed north on Rt 301. We followed him for nearly an hour, trying to stay far enough away to not be noticed but close enough to make it through the 20 traffic lights before arriving in Bowie, where he finally pulled into a residence. Tony drove past him, parked a block away, and walked back to his house to verify that he wasn’t just pulling into a stranger’s driveway to fool me. He sat in his car talking on the phone for 5 minutes, then exited his vehicle, entered the row house, and turned on the lights, confirming that this was his residence.

We did eventually have to serve him again, but the next time was at his residential address instead.

 

Helpful Tips for Hiring a Private Investigator

Unfortunately, not everyone is as honest as they say that they are. For this reason, many people are interested in seeing what someone is up to when they aren't around because people need answers. Are they just being unnecessarily suspicious? Or...

What is Skip Tracing?

There are a number of reasons you or your business may be looking to locate someone. You may be looking to locate an ex-spouse to serve them with paperwork or your business may be looking to locate someone who your business money. Locating someone...

Advantages of Hiring a Private Investigator

When people think of a private investigator, they usually think of someone from the movies, say an old film noir that depicts a man wearing a fedora, working out of a seedy office. In fact, a PI is a professional investigator, usually someone who is...

When Do I Need a Social Media Investigation?

Social media investigations require more than a basic understanding of Twitter or Facebook. It is something that you should leave to the experts. You will require a team of highly trained experts that ensure the data you gather is valuable before a...

Things To Consider When Hiring a Process Server

If you are facing a day in court or have essential legal documents that must be presented to another party, a process server can be an invaluable asset. While a Google search will offer you a ton of local options, it’s essential that you take...

5 Myths About Private Investigation

Private investigation is something that many people have heard of but that very few really know the exact details of. There are some bits and pieces that everyone should know about private investigators that will help you determine what the truth...

How A Private Process Server Can Help You

Process serving might not be an occupation you hear about often, but if you have watched any episode of any courtroom drama, then you have probably seen one in action. A process server is someone who serves legal documents to defendants involved in...

Skip Tracing Defined

Skiptracing refers to the task of finding a person's whereabouts. There are many reasons why this process may be needed. When skip tracing is required, a professional, known as a "skip tracer," is often hired. Some skip tracers are...

Top 5 Reasons for Hiring a Private Investigator

Unfortunately, the world is full of people who commit dishonest, corrupt, and fraudulent acts. If you feel threatened by such a person, contacting a private investigator is smart. By gathering crucial evidence, this expert can often prevent a bad...

Legal Difference Between an Affidavit & a Declaration

Generally, the information in both a sworn affidavit and a statutory declaration is the same. A sworn affidavit contains facts that are written and the affiant swears that the contents are all true before an individual that is authorized to...

How Does One Become a Process Server?

Process servers deliver legal documents to named clients or defendants in legal proceedings. These documents include court summons, subpoenas, complaints and so forth. Process servers are responsible for delivering documents while abiding by...

What is Creditor Harassment?

Blog originally published on August 1, 2016. Updated on July 18, 2022. The phone rings for the fifth time that morning and you cringe as you glance at the caller ID. It’s a debt collector again, and although you’ve already told this...

How to Avoid Scammer Process Servers

When it comes to serving legal documents there are plenty of concerns that you should be aware of. In a world where people are always trying to get more than they deserve, there are now more process server scams than ever before. There are some tips...

How to Become a Skip Tracer

In the legal field, skip tracing is the attempted location of a fugitive who cannot be located by using their home address, usual hangouts, or other traditional means. The term comes from 'skip', meaning someone who has 'skipped...
Page: 123456 - All