Veteran Fears For His Safety After Getting Attacked
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - A veteran who lives in Aurora and uses a wheelchair says he's worried after he was attacked in his home by a robber.
That's what Lee Pekish assumes happens, at least. Aurora police have little to go on in their investigation into the case so far, but Pekish, an 80-year-old Korean War veteran, told CBS4 the events of last Saturday played out like this:
At 6 p.m. he went out with his dog for a few minutes. The door to his home was unlocked.
The next thing he remembers it was hours later.
"Blood is everywhere and I really didn't know what the heck had happened to me. It took me most of the night to figure out what had happened," he said.
Pekish was out of his wheelchair and bleeding so much from his foot that he almost lost three toes.
He thought he had had a stroke. Then he found the wound on his head, which was the same size as the butt of a gun.
Pekish, who lost a leg in the war, fought to sit back up and called his friend Sandy Nolan for help.
"I was afraid to go to bed for fear I'd die," he said.
Pekish and Nolan figured an intruder must have snuck in and then hit Peckish while he worked at his desk.
"I was just so angry and so upset that some lowlife amoeba would come in and attack a vereran of our foreign wars," Nolan said.
The next day Pekish found out nearly $300 had been stolen from his home.
Pekish is the kind of guy who doesn't fear much, which is why his feelings about the crime stand out. Living only on his veteran benefits, Pekish worries that another criminal could break through his door again.
"Where else would I go? I'm lucky to have a place this size at the rate I pay," he said.
Pekish, who has had persistent headaches since the attack, thinks his attacker may have been looking for drugs and may have been familiar with the area.
Aurora police say there's no surveillance video of the suspect or suspects, and it appears there were no witnesses to the crime.
Anyone with information that might be helpful to Aurora police's investigation is asked to call them.
Friends of Pekish have set up a fund to help him. Anyone can donate to the account at Bank of the West for the benefit of Lee W. Pekish account #0492.
LINK: bankofthewest.com
