SAN ANTONIO – Project MEND leaders say crime and vandalism are eating up funds used to help families in need get medical equipment.
The nonprofit’s leaders are grateful for the help the community showed a few weeks ago during the KSAT Community drive for more medical equipment to continue their mission. Dexter Moon, chief operating officer, is now asking for the community’s help again to stop a string of vandalism and crimes on the property.
Last Friday, surveillance cameras showed a suspect jumping over the fence in an attempt to steal gas.
“Three of the vans, we could see where he actually went in and tried to siphon gas out of two of them. This one, he could not, so he just put a hole in the gas tank and drained it out,” Moon said, referring to the vehicles used to transport medical supplies.
The suspect was seen pushing a trash bag full of gas under a fence and then jumping over the barbed-wired fence.
Moon said the same suspect was seen taking several items from a bin two days earlier.
“If you know who he is, share our mission, you know, maybe he has a heart. You can pull on his heartstrings, " Moon said. “We can’t take this kind of damage and vandalism on our property because it doesn’t allow us to serve our clients, people who are in need.”
This is the fourth crime on the property in a year and a half, according to Moon. Each time, the nonprofit has to spend money upgrading its security.
“Once again, we’re going to have to take donations that we would normally utilize for operational expenses. That takes away from our clients who need for us to do that,” he said.
If you have information that could help police catch the suspect seen on camera, call San Antonio police or Crime Stoppers at 210-224-7867 (STOP).