XENIA — The Xenia community is rallying behind one of their own.
A few weeks ago, Xenia police told News Center 7 a person drove over an employee at Maharaja FoodMart on West Second Street to steal lottery tickets.
Friday, people held a fundraiser to support the worker.
The Maharaja FoodMart owner told News Center 7′s Brandon Lewis that the longtime employee, Gopal, was released from the hospital and recovering at home.
As he recovers, people in Xenia want him to know they are thinking of him.
>> PHOTOS: Community rallies behind an employee who was run over by a car after theft
On April 9, Xenia Police Officers found someone laying in the parking lot, bleeding from their head with tire tread marks on their forehead, according to a police report.
An officer found the suspect, identified as Charlsteven Jones, in the bathroom of the building and took them into custody.
Jones is accused of entering the FoodMart and asking for scratch-off tickets. The cashier handed them to the suspect, who started walking out of the store.
Gopal asked the suspect to pay for the tickets and followed them out to their car, reaching into the suspect’s car in an attempt to grab the tickets, according to a police report.
Organizers told Lewis they raised over $1,300 Friday and the money will go directly to Gopal.
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