Stealing from the Needy
Andreas apprehended for stealing from the Inyo Mono Association for the Handicapped ‘s Bishop Thrift Store
Bishop Police officers apprehended 21-year-old Dan John Andreas III inside the Inyo Mono Association for the Handicapped (IMAH) Thrift Store late in the evening on Wednesday, November 22, the day before Thanksgiving. Jenny Park, IMAH Program Director, said the man was caught with clothes and merchandise. He also tore a camera off the wall and smashed it, thinking there was only one and not knowing there was an alarm. Park said the camera will be expensive to replace.
Park said that in the past, people have broken in to start fires or defecate on the floor. Burglars found their way into the store in September, making off with knick-knacks. Ironically, Park said that if someone came in during business hours needing a jacket they couldn’t afford but needed, she said she’d probably give it to them.
Wednesday’s burglary set off an alarm that alerted authorities, but Park said there’s no security system in place where donations are dropped off; a small outdoor area sandwiched between a truck, a fence and Warren Street. After hours, people pick, toss and sort through the donations, taking what they want without paying.
Park said those donations are the property of IMAH and taking any of those items is theft. “When you drive past someone’s home and you see a bicycle out in front, do you think it’s yours to take because it’s out front and nobody’s watching it?” she asked in a post on Facebook.
Stealing from IMAH isn’t taking money from a government-funded organization or business owner, but from IMAH’s clients—adults with developmental disabilities. IMAH receives monetary donations from the community, but Park said it’s the thrift store that keeps the program running.
Currently, 29 adults are enrolled in the program. All have worked at the store, and some have moved out into the community, finding employment at preschools, with the City of Bishop, at local coffee shops, and one at Manzanar Historic Site, Park said. Most clients work part-time and study life skills like learning to cook or plan a meal and balance a checkbook. Some clients transition into living independently in the community through skills they learn at IMAH.
“The clients run the store,” Park said. “They do everything. Everyone who steals from us should have to work with the clients so they can see who they’re stealing from.”
Park said she plans on putting up signs and more cameras, and asked people to drop off their donations during business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday), when clients and workers can sort through donations and can issue a receipt for a tax-deductible donation. For larger estate-size donations, IMAH will pick up the stuff, free of charge.
Andreas was charged with felony burglary, possession of prescription drugs, possession of a controlled substance, and vandalism. He is currently being held at Inyo County Jail on $115,000 bail. The Bishop Police Department did not return calls for comment to The Sheet.
Bishop Police officers apprehended 21-year-old Dan John Andreas III inside the Inyo Mono Association for the Handicapped (IMAH) Thrift Store late in the evening on Wednesday, November 22, the day before Thanksgiving. Jenny Park, IMAH Program Director, said the man was caught with clothes and merchandise. He also tore a camera off the wall and smashed it, thinking there was only one and not knowing there was an alarm. Park said the camera will be expensive to replace.
Park said that in the past, people have broken in to start fires or defecate on the floor. Burglars found their way into the store in September, making off with knick-knacks. Ironically, Park said that if someone came in during business hours needing a jacket they couldn’t afford but needed, she said she’d probably give it to them.
Wednesday’s burglary set off an alarm that alerted authorities, but Park said there’s no security system in place where donations are dropped off; a small outdoor area sandwiched between a truck, a fence and Warren Street. After hours, people pick, toss and sort through the donations, taking what they want without paying.
Park said those donations are the property of IMAH and taking any of those items is theft. “When you drive past someone’s home and you see a bicycle out in front, do you think it’s yours to take because it’s out front and nobody’s watching it?” she asked in a post on Facebook.
Stealing from IMAH isn’t taking money from a government-funded organization or business owner, but from IMAH’s clients—adults with developmental disabilities. IMAH receives monetary donations from the community, but Park said it’s the thrift store that keeps the program running.
Currently, 29 adults are enrolled in the program. All have worked at the store, and some have moved out into the community, finding employment at preschools, with the City of Bishop, at local coffee shops, and one at Manzanar Historic Site, Park said. Most clients work part-time and study life skills like learning to cook or plan a meal and balance a checkbook. Some clients transition into living independently in the community through skills they learn at IMAH.
“The clients run the store,” Park said. “They do everything. Everyone who steals from us should have to work with the clients so they can see who they’re stealing from.”
Park said she plans on putting up signs and more cameras, and asked people to drop off their donations during business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday), when clients and workers can sort through donations and can issue a receipt for a tax-deductible donation. For larger estate-size donations, IMAH will pick up the stuff, free of charge.
Andreas was charged with felony burglary, possession of prescription drugs, possession of a controlled substance, and vandalism. He is currently being held at Inyo County Jail on $115,000 bail. The Bishop Police Department did not return calls for comment to The Sheet.
