Homeless Man Recovering After Attack
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Homeless Man Attacked
A community wants answers after a homeless man is beaten.
A homeless man, who is a beloved fixture on Main Street, is off the streets and in a hospital bed after he was attacked.
REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio—A man without a home, who is a beloved fixture on Main Street, was off the streets and in a hospital bed.
Bob Wirtz has been recovering after he was attacked two days ago.
He hangs out on Main Street, and several business owners help house and feed him.
Wirtz’s friends want answers, and NBC 4’s Ana Jackson talked to them about Wirtz.
“He lives in a different world than most of us, but he’s a fixture along Main Street,“ Reynoldsburg Police Lieutenant Jim O’Neill said.
“How long has he been coming around here? Oh, gosh. Since at least ’79,” Sunoco owner Jo Lynne Gates said.
“We call him the street walker, the crack counter. He counts every one of those cracks. I think he’s got everyone of them named,” Connell Hardware employee Cody Nemaster said.
“He felt at home here, I think,” Connell Hardware owner Jean Connell said.
Monday morning, though, Wirtz’s friends were in for a tragic surprise. The owner of Connell Hardware found Wirtz beaten in his sleeping bag, right outside the store.
“I seen him, and I said, ‘Oh, my. There’s something wrong with him,’ ” Nemaster said.
“He told policemen that he got beat up,” Connell said.
“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen a man beat up in my life,” Nemaster said.
Connell said Wirtz’s whole face was swollen
“It seems very strange not to have him here. He’s just kind of a fixture,” Connell said.
“It’s just terrible. I mean, he doesn’t hurt anybody. Why would anybody go and hurt him,” Gates asked.
“I guess, deep down, he means more to you than you realize when something happens like this. He’s a friend. He’s like family,” Connell said.
“You almost feel like somebody was just out to do something wrong to someone, and Robert just ended up in the wrong place at that time,” O’Neill said.
“They need to have the same thing they did to him happen to them. That’s the way I feel,” Gates said.
Gates has started a donation jar at her Sunoco station. She’s going to be working through Chase Bank, she said.
She said the donations were to go towards Wirtz’s medical expenses.
Wirtz was taken to Mount Carmel Hospital East, and his friends said he is in stable condition.
Reynoldsburg police continued to search for suspects.
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Reader Reactions
I am sure that Bobby would love to receive cards. His address is:
Robert Wirtz
c/o Mt. Carmel West
793 West State Street
Columbus, OH 43222
I have not received any new information, but will keep you posted.
Thank you all for taking the time to write you kind words and for your concern.
To Bob’s family
Thank-you for keeping us updated on his recovery.
Besides money donations please let us know if there is anything else we can do. I know a lot of good people are keeping an eye on this and we will pass the word.
Would he like it if we send cards to the hospital?
Let us know in any way if we can brighten his day and let him know that he does have other people that care about him too.
Thank-you
First of all, Bob’s family would like to express our heartfelt thanks and sincere gratitude to everyone who has helped Bob throughout the years and those of you that continue to do so now. A special thanks to the folks at Connell’s Hardware, Cody and Charity, they are special people. And to the people at the local church that have done so much for Bob, as well.
jls1967, what do you really KNOW of the situation? I AM his brother and your attempt to shame us into caring for Bob the way YOU think we should speaks volumes about you. What makes you assume we are any wealthier than you? Are you a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist? Do you know anything of his mental condition? Do you understand that, regardless of his problems, he has the same rights that you do? No one can force you to do something you don’t want to do; while you would willingly take a medication a doctor prescribes for you, Bob won’t. The courts will not step in unless Bob is a threat to himself or the community; their official statement on it was, “...he has adapted to his chosen lifestyle…“ Other than your blind assumptions and judgment of us, do you KNOW anything of what we have tried to do for him since the onset of his condition? Have you even offered to let him spend a night or two with you, much less gone searching for him in the dead of night when it’s life threatening cold outside; find him and have him refuse to come with you? I have, countless times. Do you see that he has decent clothes, collect his dirty laundry, wash them and see he has them? His mother and other family members do. So much for what you THINK you KNOW and your belief that you have done ALL that you can possibly do, you’ve done all you were WILLING to do and nothing more. Before you cast any more stones…you might want to remove that beam from your own eye first.
You may think of Bob, now and then, his family live with this EVERY DAY. We do all that is humanly possible for him…all that HE will ALLOW us to do. If you really knew Bob, you would know that he doesn’t accept “help” from just anyone, including his family. Fortunately, he has found a new “family”, one that he has, or had until recently; put his trust and faith in, that does take care of him, as HE ALLOWS; for which we are eternally grateful.
Someone out there knows something, not just the cowards that committed this senseless act. Some parent, some acquaintance, some body KNOWS. And whether it is fear, or shame, or something else that keeps them from coming forward, they are as guilty as those that hurt Bob.
Let’s face it. Reynoldsburg is changing and not for the better. As I said in an earlier post, I have lived here for 30 years. I am African American and I am truly saddened by what I see happening. I love my home but day by day I see things that make me wish that I had not stayed here so long. If you read the Reynoldsburg newspaper you will see that the types of crimes have changed and the amount has increased. There was a story on the news a few weeks ago about Reynoldsburg police having a hard time keeping up with the increasing crime. When you build cheap homes and low income apartments, you attract people who live in those types of places. When you build quality homes and upscale apartments, you attract people who live in those types of places. Reynoldsburg has done plenty of the former and little to none of the latter. I have watched nice stores move out and cheap stores move in or the spaces remain empty. I have watched Consumer Square on Brice and Tussing be built and then be torn down. I have watched Meijer’s be built and close. I have watched Scarborough Mall be built and closed. Now the strip mall where the old Target was off of Brice is basically empty except for a few stores. Empty storesfronts are plentiful on Brice north of 70 and on Main and on Livingston. It looks like a very depressed community. I have watched the schools in Reynoldsburg become very tough places. Now they are going to be substandard institutions with no money for the arts, sports and other extracurricular activities that make up a good school experience and a well rounded person. Not to mention that the teachers are losing their jobs. That doesn’t attract people to Reynoldsburg who want their children to have a good education. I even heard that there are now gangs here fighting for “turf” in Reynoldsburg. For all these years, Mr. Wirtz has been here in no danger…now he is a victim and nearly lost his life. I am glad that his family is here with him and I pray that he will go home with them. He is not safe and neither am I, on the streets of Reynoldsburg. The police give plenty of traffic citations but I think that they are afraid to tackle the real problems here. There is a 1000lb elephant in the room and everybody keeps trying to walk around it and ignore it. There are still plenty of decent people in Reynoldsburg but the migration of those who are not so decent is still very much in progress. Unfortunately, there are plenty more cheap homes for them to live in and plenty of low income apartments for them to occupy. When they come, they bring the problems that plague lower socio-economic groups. I would like to think that we have seen the worst of it, but I don’t think so. God speed to your swift recovery, Mr. Wirtz.
For those concerned: I just got off the phone with my mother. She said that they have not done any surgery because of the swelling. His vital signs are good, but he does not want to take any pain medication. I understand that a dear friend of Bob’s, whom he trusts, did convince him that it was ok for him to take the medication and he would feel better.
She has been comforted by the kindness and generosity of others. My whole family has.
Thank you for your kindness.
Bob’s sister.
well if you read the other comments in this section some residents had their minds made up that it was blacks that committed the offense. Low-income blacks,trash or whatever. I’m done commenting because SOME people of this area are self-righteous and have their minds made up about people they don’t even know. They are using Mr. Wirtz misfortune to pass judgement on others whom are also unfortunate.No more comments from me. Goodnight. I have better things to do.
Bob reportedly told Cody (at Connell’s hardware) that it was two white guys who beat him up so I don’t understand how this race issue is relevant.
It saddens me that people are criticizing Bob’s family and blaming the community of Reynoldsburg for Bob’s condition now. It is unfair to say that Bob’s family isn’t helping, or tried to help because his mom has been at the hospital everyday, and today his nephew and sister in law were there too. My family and I attend Reynoldsburg United Methodist Church and we have known Bob for about seven years. He is very respectful and never asks for anything in return. We have tried to get him an apartment that he could sleep in during the winter, but he refuses. Luckily this winter, he was willing to sleep in Connell’s hardware store. See, people were willing to help, and it is not fair to blame Reynoldsburg or his family for what has happened. It was a very important even, and all we can do is pray that the police catch these guys who did this to Bob. My family and I have been at the hospital everyday so I will keep everyone updated.
I just wanted to extend my well wishes to Bobby. I have lived in Reynoldsburg since I was born in 1978 and still do live here as an adult. I have known who Bobby was since I was old enough to understand. My children know who he is. I never realized how important he was to the community and to all of us until this happened. When my Mother in law told me, I felt sick to my stomach and was horrified. We are all praying that he heals quickly and we’ll be anxiously waiting to see him back “home” soon.
Gmoney- What does living in Dublin have to do with being intelligent? I would certainly hope you are not implying that Dublin residents are wealthier, smarter, or in some way better than citizens of Reynoldsburg. I think that would be…what’s the word? Oh yes, stereotyping.
I am a lifelong Reynoldsburg resident and I was so saddened to hear about this tragic and senseless incident. This man never hurt or even bothered anyone. The people who did this obviously have no regard for human life or any sense of pride in community.
The issue is not blacks vs. white or rich vs. poor. The issue is about a common respect for yourself, others, and for your community. This is not the “City of Respect” where I was raised. Things have changed so much in just the past 10 years. Residents no longer have a sense of pride in the city or in its people.
So who’s to blame? The mayor? City Council? The police? The citizens? I think it can safely be said that there is enough guilt to go around.
The mayor and city council are too concerned with finding the next piece of land to develop and build what? Another strip mall that can sit empty. Or maybe more houses and condos. Way to boost the property values.
The police department spends most of its time trying to catch speeders going 37 MPH on Lancaster Ave. Moreover, the citizens don’t care enough about our community and our children to pass a school levy. I hope those same citizens realize that they are contributing to the ultimate decline of our city. As new families look for cities to live in surely they will pass over Reynoldsburg and their sub-par school system.
Where are the events of years past? The 4th of July festival at Huber Park. The Tomato Festival- what a joke that has turned into. Christmas on the Town, farmers markets, parades. These things bring the community together- despite race or other factors. When was the last time you attended a city council meeting? Or went to one of the plays put on by the RHS drama department?
Our town has lost pride in itself and what happened to Rob is just a sad example of what is to come if we don’t shape up.
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