Ok, I read this post and I had to go all the way back to find the story about the homeless guy, and I got drawn into the dumping cats, shooting dogs conversation.

jD, be careful with letting people into your car! Actually most people aren't going to hurt you IMO. Maybe you could have taken the phone into the car and tried the charger, although I suppose if he had some bad plans for you, he could have still got you.

A year or so ago I was picking up my dog at doggie dog care. There were a couple of young men in there asking for a drink of water. The clerk said 'no' even though they have a water cooler right there.

They followed me out to the parking lot and asked for help. They were in their early 20s. It was over 100 degrees out. There were no businesses nearby. And their faces were bright red. Sometimes you just can't say 'no' and keep your good conscience.

So they sat all the way to the back of my Fit with my Great Dane between them and me, and I drove them a few miles up the road to a gas station. They told me they were hitchhiking and walking some godawful distance - Ohio to California? Anyway, sometimes you have to take a risk so you can face yourself in the mirror later.

My dad's policy was to help anyone he ran across who was stranded. One time a fellow tried to hit him over the head. Luckily my dad wasn't all the way out of his car yet, so he just fell back into the driver's seat, slammed the door shut, and took off driving. When he told me mom, she asked, "So are you going to stop picking up stranded motorists and helping people?" He answered, "No, I'll still stop for anyone who needs help."