MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A plan to turn a vacant Memphis building into a recovery center for those experiencing homelessness was derailed after the owners found it vandalized earlier this month.
Memphis Police said this happened at the former Ashton Place rehab center on Walnut Grove in the Binghampton neighborhood. On the evening of Dec. 1, the owners had planned a walk-through inspection of the building when they found three men -- all wearing hoodies and blue jeans -- inside.
The suspects, who had saws, drills and bolt cutters, were not supposed to be there, MPD said. The men ran off toward the back of the building and had not been seen since.
Police said investigators later found a car filled with copper at a different location and connected it to the vandalism on Walnut Grove. It is believed that the burglars caused nearly $750,000 in damage to the building.
The building belongs to Warriors Center Memphis, a recovery program that aims to help homeless men, women and veterans and their families get back on their feet. In a statement, the nonprofit's CEO, David Vincent, said the vandalism was not going to stop his effort to build a place for those in need.
Below are statement from CEO David Vincent and Warriors Center Memphis:
"We unknowingly walked right into an active crime scene. There were burglary tools and saws all over the floor. There were piles of copper wire and plumbing fixtures scattered around in piles everywhere. We saw bullets & shell casings all over the floor in the hall which told us that the culprits had guns. Then we looked up as strange men with hoodies started walking out of rooms ... I shouted at them that the police were on the way, and we exited our building immediately. We called 911 and the police came quickly and searched the facility with K-9 Units, but the thieves were already gone. Sadly, we would find the thieves had stolen much of the copper out of the building, smashed up bathrooms to steal copper pipes and fixtures, and had caused nearly a million dollars in damage. It was a very sad night for us."
-- Warriors Center Memphis
"Warriors Center Memphis were preparing to bring hope to many homeless women and children through a new program in Memphis when hit with a major challenge. Thieves had just broken into our new building that we had just acquired at 3030 Walnut Grove Road at the edge of Binghamton Community. The level of damage was extensive. It has been a setback, but our plans are still to move forward with the project because of the great need for homeless women & children. For 25 years, the Warriors Center has been fighting for men & women in the Memphis area who are battling homelessness and addiction. We started our non-profit charity by helping men rebuild their lives. Later, we stepped up to start helping women. Now, we're committed to building this new center to serve homeless women and their children. What has happened to our new facility was devastating... but we will not quit. We have now started the clean-up work and are setting in order plans to rebuild and keep the dream alive."
-- Warriors Center Memphis
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