Hot Springs burglars continue to target a building project that will house cancer patient

Hot Springs, Arkansas – In order to prevent cancer sufferers from having their construction site looted, the Our Promise non-profit organization in Hot Springs was founded.

To provide lodging for those coming to the area for treatment, the charity is constructing The Our Promise House.

In the past two months, the project has been plundered eight times. The burglars keep causing additional damage and setbacks worth thousands of dollars. The completion of the house was slated for July. They are now aiming for October.

The Hot Springs Police Department is trying to identify a person that was captured by Our House as the intruder.

According to HSPD, they do not believe that the Our Promise House is being intentionally targeted.

They believe the objective is copper wire. They claim that a phone tower and other building sites in the area of Hot Springs have both been burglarized.

“It’s been a guy coming in and coming back out with a full backpack and a roll of wiring in his hand,” Tasha Helmes with Zimmerman Electrical said, who is installing all the copper wiring that keeps getting stolen.

The project manager for this job, Benny Arego, claims that every time Our Promise takes action to deter robberies once they return, the criminals manage to get through the safeguards they put in place.

“People aren’t getting to stay here because of these thieves,” Arego said.

Once the insurance adjuster approves the proposal, according to Arego, they will increase their efforts and move more quickly to encapsulate all the wires. They would also have 24-hour security, he adds.

Our Promise is entirely supported by donations. Donated bricks, construction funding, and security funding.

Helmes observes the cameras during her downtime, and Zimmerman even donated them.

“We just can’t make him out clearly,” Helmes said, referring to the man seen on camera.

“Who comes up here and does this to a place like this,” she said.

Arego said “People don’t realize the secondary expense of being sick with cancer,” but both Arego and Helmes do.

When receiving lymphoma treatment, Arego spent a week in a facility like this, and Helmes lost a niece to cancer.

“I guess that’s the reason I am so dedicated to this project,” Helmes said.

A $1,000 prize is being offered by Our House for information that results in an indictment and conviction.