Two weeks ago, Stephy was visiting her sister in Huber Heights, where homes along Tilbury Road proudly display the stars and stripes.
When a man approached Stephy claiming an affiliation to the Wounded Warrior Project — one of the top charities for military members and veterans — “I said, ‘Oh, I’ll help, you know, we have several family and friends in the military.’ He walked with me to my vehicle, that’s where I had my purse,” she said. “I handed him a $20 and said ‘make sure this gets where it needs to go.’ ”
Thirty minutes later she saw him walk by the house again. When she returned to her car to leave, the purse was gone.
The Wounded Warrior Project said it does not solicit donations door-to-door.
“For lack of a better word, I felt violated, I’m angry, I’m hurt, you are not representing my military doing that,” Stephy said.
Sgt. Charles Taylor of the Huber Heights Police Division said not to give money to the man when he comes knocking.
“What we’re trying to do is discover who this individual is, and if there’s any other people that he went door-to-door to and if they’ve actually donated money to these alleged organizations,” Taylor said.
When caught, the sergeant said the suspect will likely face felony charges.