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2007 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
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Crime doesn't pay

2007 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

Stolen dryer found in victims' unit at shattered apartment complex

Woman who lost family claims police didn't help her

BY KIMBERLY C. MOORE

FLORIDA TODAY

MELBOURNE - Police focused on the theft of a dryer as the possible cause of a gas leak that led to Wednesday morning's townhouse explosion, which killed a man and his infant daughter.

Police confirmed Thursday that the dryer found in the victims' apartment apparently was stolen from the neighboring apartment where the gas explosion originated.

Meanwhile, survivors left hospitals to start life again with nothing but memories of their ordeal.

"I was in that fire looking for my baby," said 25-year-old Nikkita Johnson, who is staying at the Howard Johnson Inn on U.S. 192. Her apartment, also next to the unit that exploded, was destroyed in the public housing complex known as Tucker Heights Tears streamed down Johnson's face as she recalled her panic.

"I was not going to leave that child in that house," she said. "I was going to burn up for that baby."

Johnson searched through the fire for her 3-year-old son, Damanee Thomas, but she didn't know the force of the explosion already had hurled Damanee out a second-story window. She threw her 11-month-old son, Dasaan Barnes, out another second-story window to the waiting arms of neighbors below. Johnson said the spirit of her late mother, who died in 1994, must have looked out for them.

"I know my mom had her hands on him," said Johnson, who is eight months pregnant. "She just made sure he didn't hit the ground so hard."

On Wednesday, Holmes Regional Medical Center released Damanee, who has a broken arm and a broken leg. He will turn 4 years old Sunday.

Dasaan, who will turn a year old this month, was released from Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children after being flown there by helicopter with a cut on his leg. Her unborn baby is fine.

Johnson said there is a history of a gas smell at Tucker Heights. She said the smell was strong for the past week.

"I'm used to checking the pilot light," she said, adding that she and her boyfriend did not notify the Melbourne Housing Authority. "We knew it wasn't coming from our stove. We never did nothing about it."

Police are investigating whether natural gas leaked into unit C for a week after a gas-powered clothes dryer was stolen from it.

Melbourne Police Cmdr. Ron Bell said the stolen dryer was found in Unit D, where the bodies of Joshua Jackson, 18, and his 8-month-old daughter Ja-Miya Jackson, were found early Wednesday. Neighbors said that Jackson bought the stolen dryer a week ago.

"We've heard that, and we're trying to follow up on that," Bell said. Police know of several "persons of interest" but did not expect to make an arrest Thursday, Bell said.

Amanda Lewis, whose boyfriend and daughter died in the blast, complained Tuesday that police did not go into her unit to help her family get out alive. Bell said the first call came in at 3:04 a.m. The police department arrived three minutes later, with fire trucks pulling up at 3:10.

"My first responders are telling me that when they arrived, the apartment was fully engulfed," Bell said.

Other neighbors said they complained to the Housing Authority about the gas smell, but nothing was done.

Ron Sellers, executive director of the Melbourne Housing Authority, denied receiving any complaints. "We have done an extensive review of our 'trouble call' -- looking for a pattern or a series of reporting of that and we don't have it," Sellers said. "We don't have a man employed who was even aware there were gas problems."

Melbourne Fire Chief Bobby Apel said some tenants have been allowed into their units to retrieve personal belongings. He added that engineers would check out the structural soundness of the one-story units across the yard from the 10 damaged townhouses to see whether residents could move back in this weekend. All the back windows of the one-story units were blown out and some ceilings were damaged.

There will be some return to normalcy for the children. Students who attend Creel Elementary School and Diamond Academy will be picked up at the hotel this morning.

In the Howard Johnson Inn's breakfast room, counselors and social workers sat with survivors to help them fill out paperwork and talk through their shock and grief.

"We assisted the clients with gift cards to Wal-Mart and let them know, after all this is over, we'll be here for them," said Fannie Gary, a social worker with the Brevard County Housing and Human Services Department.

Outside, Johnson talked about whoever is responsible for stealing the dryer, possibly causing the gas leak and destroying the lives of people who had little.

"I feel like he needs to be arrested and put in jail," Johnson said. "I know he didn't get the value of the dryer and about took our life." Contact Moore at 321-480-5166 or kmoore@floridatoday.com.

http://www.flatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070413/NEWS01/704130359/-1/archives

Submitted on 04/17/2007

Submitted by: Harley Watkins
Reference: Florida Today 13 April 2007

Copyright © 2007 DarwinAwards.com

>> Moderator Scores <<

Bruce said:
Definitely Toss: Bystanders Hurt
Thanks for the story Harley, but aside from being a repeat it also clearly states that a baby was killed so it can't qualify due to bystanders being hurt.


James said:
Definitely Toss: Bystanders Hurt
As Bruce said. A bystander hurt, especially an innocent infant, is an automatic disqualification. Thanks just the same for the submission, Harley!


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