GALENA, Kan. —
It started in an electrical panel in the garage — a late-night fire that would displace a family of six and render them homeless for the holidays. But then a scrooge stole the family’s Christmas presents meant for the youngest member, which left the family wondering who could do such a thing.
“You know, when you say it can’t get any worse, it really can,” said Jodi Gowens, of Galena.
She was living at the home of her father, Jim Bowman, when a fire broke out just after 1 a.m. on Nov. 6. By the time firefighters from Galena and Baxter Springs arrived on scene, the fire already had burned through the roof on the west end of the house.
“We basically lost everything,” Gowens said. Other residents of the home included Bowman’s girlfriend, Sue George, Gowens’ daughter and son-in-law, Alicia and Aaron Maize, and their son, Dylan, 5.
The family dispersed to the homes of friends and relatives that night, then took up lodging at the Baymont Inn & Suites in Joplin, where they remained last week while they waited for insurance to be completed.
But it’s Dylan they worry about most. The kindergartner not only lost his home, his mother said, but after the fire, someone broke into the family’s mini-storage on West Seventh Street and stole Christmas presents they had purchased for Dylan and hidden there.
“I had two big boxes worth of things I’d put in there for him, things I had ordered online,” Alicia Maize said. “I just can’t believe it.”
“And my grandpa had been saving model cars that were still in their boxes there that I wanted my son to have, because they would be worth money later,” Maize said. “But they even dug through and took those.”
To compound their heartbreak, Maize said, someone broke into the remains of their home and stole possessions that they had not yet salvaged, including her son’s piggy bank and mementos her father had given her.
The family said the thief also made off with a collection of stamps and coins that Bowman had collected during his naval service around the world. Reports were filed with the Galena Police Department, but as of last week there was no new information in the case.
“Who goes into a burnt house and takes stuff?” Maize said.
It’s also been a challenge to find a home.
The Maize family has learned they are $2,000 short of being able to complete an owner-finance deal on a Galena home. They are attempting to get a loan to cover the difference.
“It’s a day-to-day thing, just a holding pattern,” Maize said. “We’re trying to figure it out, but at this point we’re not sure.”
She hopes they are able to get out of the hotel before Christmas.
“My son has been through too much to have to spend Christmas in a hotel,” she said. She said she is proud that despite their setbacks, her son earned a student of the month award at Spring Grove Primary School in Galena.
Gowens said that despite the fire and the thefts, the family is thankful for what they have left: each other.
“I’m just thankful we’re all here and OK,” Gowens said. “And the people at the Baymont have been so nice to us; they’ve treated us like family. They’ve been a blessing in all this.”
Significant damage
“They had a lot of damage; it was burning quite a few minutes before it was noticed,” said Galena fire Chief Bill Hall. The fire departments were on scene for two to three hours, Hall said. The structure had significant fire, smoke and water damage.
Local News
Thieves steal Christmas presents after fire renders Galena family homeless
- Local News
-
-
Missouri Southern art students to raise funds for Moore, Okla.
Throughout periods of historical change, art has always played an important role, Kahlief Steele contends. “A lot of art came out of the Renaissance period, and the same thing happened after the Great Depression,” said Steele, an art major who will start his junior year this fall at Missouri Southern State University.
-
City manager: CID owes Neosho $158,257
The Big Spring Plaza Community Improvement District owes Neosho $158,257, City Manager Troy Royer told the Neosho City Council on Tuesday night. Royer had filed an open-records request under the Missouri Sunshine Law with officers of the CID he could identify, which he had said wasn’t easy.
-
Ground to be broken for Pittsburg project; 10 homes planned for moderate-income residents
City and Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce officials will participate in a groundbreaking ceremony at 11 a.m. today at Lincoln Square. An open house also will be held in the home under construction in the new development.
-
Mike Pound: Office space no place for litter box
I knew my wife was lying when she told me to relax. “It won’t be that bad,” she said. “Relax. I’m sure all writers have had to put up with something like this at least once in their career.”
-
Donations helping JHS music programs rebuild after tornado
Building a repertoire for the Joplin School District’s orchestra program is a challenge for Kylee VanHorn. “Every time I get on the Internet and look at the music sites, there are so many pieces I want to purchase, and I just don’t have the money,” VanHorn said.
-
Defendant chooses not to testify in Miami murder trial
Donna Shirley testified Wednesday that Dustin Boggs had blood all over his hands and clothes when she encountered him in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart store the afternoon Danyel Borden was killed.
-
Former Jasper County official's sentencing slated today in fraud charges
Rita Hunter, former Jasper County public administrator, is to be sentenced today in federal court in Springfield. Hunter, who held office from January 2005 through December 2008, pleaded guilty last November to document fraud, a charge related to illegal obtaining of federal benefits.
-
MSSU board approves settlement agreement with fired president
Bruce Speck, whose contract as president of Missouri Southern State University was terminated last week, will receive the equivalent of a year’s salary as well as housing and health insurance benefits through the end of the year.
-
Mindenmines man charged in first-degree assault case
Barton County Prosecutor Steven Kaderly on Wednesday charged a Mindenmines man with first-degree felony assault of another man, who was in serious condition at a Joplin hospital. The felony charge against Charles Lee Kerby, 32, alleges that on Sunday he assaulted John Bryant, 58, causing serious physical injuries. The assault happened in the 800 block of Tucker Street in Mindenmines.
-
State auditors start review of Jasper County Circuit Court
Workers for the office of Thomas Schweich, Missouri state auditor, have started an audit of Jasper County Circuit Court. The state review was described as “routine” by Spence Jackson, a spokesman for Schweich’s office.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Missouri Southern art students to raise funds for Moore, Okla.
