LEWISTON — Their apartment building had an electrical fire. Thieves broke in and ransacked the place. Then, the community came through.
Krystal Johnson said her son’s third grade classmates at Farwell Elementary School wrote cards and held a fundraiser. Strangers dropped off bags of toys and household goods. Her mother’s workplace bought baby gates, replacing ones that had been swiped.
“People are amazing, it’s just awesome,” Johnson said. “I have an 8-week-old and a 2-year-old, so baby gates are my lifesaver.”
An electrical fire in the three-story building at 279 Pine St. forced out tenants from all three units on Nov. 1. Days later, while the tenants were all staying at a hotel, someone broke in, emptied drawers, ripped the cover off Johnson’s Bible and stole from the families.
Some items were found the next day on Webster Street, one street over from Pine, police Lt. Mark Cornelio said.
“One of the owners of a building down there noticed the stuff in their garage wasn’t theirs,” he said.
A few toys and a carpet cleaner were returned. Johnson said she was asked to come claim an empty Wii box.
“That’s all I got back,” she said. “I was like, ‘I have to come sign for this? Thanks.’”
No one has been charged for the theft, according to Cornelio, and it remains under investigation.
In addition to the gates and the Wii, she also had items as small as baby wash stolen.
Johnson, who lives on the first floor, was able to move back into her apartment in early November.
“I’ve gotten cards in the mail from a couple of people giving money and saying they’re sorry,” she said. “I want them to know I’m so thankful and grateful. How do I thank everybody? I’m going to attempt.”
Johnson said the Hickey family, on the third floor, were still living in a hotel in early December, waiting while their unit is repaired.
-
- Krystal Johnson’s apartment suffered damage from an electrical fire on Nov. 1. Within days, the apartment was broken into. Johnson’s three sons are Gabriel, 8, Jahziah, 2, and Ellijah, 3 months.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.