UPDATE: James Robertson told police that he did not feel safe in his current home after receiving a new car and being the subject of a fundraiser that has collected over $300,000. The Detroit Free Press reports that crime prevention specialists assisted Robertson with moving to a safer temporary residence. Robertson told police that people had been asking him for money. Robertson has not received any cash yet from the fundraiser, and is meeting with financial advisers who will help manage the man's newfound wealth.
Read the original story below.
Here's a man with a big heart and even more determination.
Each day, James Robertson, 56, walks 21 miles each day round trip just to get to his job. No matter what the weather, Robertson has been hiking it to work ever since his car broke down 10 years ago, he tells the Detroit Free Press.
"By the time Friday comes, you’re mentally and physically drained," Robertson tells the Free Press, saying that he's "extremely tired" by the grueling commute that leaves him only a couple hours to sleep each week night.
His job at a factory pays $10.55 so he says he can't afford a car and the bus only takes him so far to work. The rest he has to walk, consuming large amounts of Coca-Cola and Mountain Dew just to stay awake. The walk only leaves him with a few hours of sleep before he has to do it all over again, but he loves the people he works with so he makes it work.
His story has reached millions, prompting 19-year-old Evan Leedy to set up a GoFundMe page to help Robertson out.
"I just used my phone," Leedy told the Free Press. "I created the go-funding site and within an hour we had $2,000." The crowdfunding page has raised over $149,000, according to People.
The funds likely will be managed by a board of professionals who would make sure the donations go towards the cost of having and maintaining a car, including the high auto insurance rates that Detroit motorists pay.
But that's not the only gift Robertson is getting. According to The Blaze, Rodgers Chevrolet in Woodhaven, Michigan, offered to give Robertson a free 2014 Chevrolet Cruz or Sonic after sales manager Darwin Filey came across his story on Facebook.
Robertson couldn't be more grateful.
However, when it was suggested that a new federal program might temporarily provide a door-to-door public transit service for Robertson, he said he'd rather see those funds used on a 24/7 bus service that everyone can use.
While the donations and offers of cars pour in, Robertson is determined to not miss a shift.
Man accused of spreading nails on road to punish speeding drivers
Published: Saturday, April 14, 2018 @ 3:18 PM By:
Joy Johnston, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
File image of nails.(Pixabay)
Pixabay
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota man is facing a felony charge, accused of tampering with the road outside of his home as a way to punish speeding drivers, authorities said.
Joseph Kurimay, 75, has been charged with one felony count of damage to property, WCCO reported.
Kurimay has been under investigation since October, according to the criminal complaint. He is accused of scattering mason nails on the road outside of his home. The criminal complaint says more than 100 vehicles have been damaged due to Kurimay's actions.
Police gathered evidence from employees at a car repair shop and from surveillance video at a hardware store, the criminal complaint said. Police said they linked a credit card used to purchase mason nails to Kurimay, and found a nearly empty box of mason nails during a search of Kurimay's garage.
Kurimay initially denied involvement, but then expressed frustration that authorities had not responded to his complaints about speeding in the neighborhood, so he took matters into his own hands, according the criminal complaint.
Police told WCCO that 115 victims have been identified, and over $22,000 has been reported in damages.
Kurimay could face up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted, WCCO reported.
A review of Kurimay's criminal record found several speeding tickets, WCCO reported.
The man told police that he was distracted while trying to swat a wasp that flew into his Jeep and lost sight of the cliff momentarily, azcentral.com reported. The driver was able to jump out of the vehicle before it plunged off the cliff and became submerged in the lake below.
The man was not injured in the incident, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said.
Published: Saturday, March 31, 2018 @ 11:44 AM By:
Joy Johnston, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Gators - 5 Fast Facts
SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — A deputy from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office thought his Friday night shift was getting off to a slow start until he received a call about an alligator in a swimming pool.
The deputy documented the call with photos and video, which was posted on the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office Facebook page. The first photo shows an alligator that almost appears to be floating in the pool. But as the video clip shows, the alligator proved to be feisty as the trapper removed it from the pool. The last set of photos shows the alligator on the front lawn of the residence.
The alligator was 11 feet long, according to the deputy.
It was unclear how the alligator made its way into the pool.
Officials with the Harristown Fire Protection District posted photos on its Facebook page showing a turkey that slammed into the windshield of a car. The turkey crashed through the driver's side windshield, leaving a large hole, officials said. When rescue workers arrived, they found the driver outside of the vehicle, covered in glass. The driver was treated for multiple facial cuts, officials said.
Fire officials said that the turkey, a 25-pound male, was found on the passenger floorboard. The bird did not survive the accident.
