Police Officers Responding to Call Find Old Lady in Cold House Using Her Oven to Warm Up — Story of the Day

Two police officers respond to a 911 emergency call only to find an old lady in a cold house using her oven like a campfire to warm up.

Margaret Solana had had enough. "Hello, 911, I am calling to report a burglar!" she yelled into the phone before rattling out her address and rushing back to the window to see where the thief went.

As she had suspected, the burglar went into the neighbor's wretched house with the stolen things. It was not the first time Margaret had caught the person stealing her garden tools and supply, but that day was the last she wanted it to happen.

Officer Mark Jenkins and his partner Leroi Lee were on patrol when dispatch radioed in the burglary Margaret witnessed.

"Dispatch, this is cruiser 12357, we'll check out the source of the disturbance," Mark said, turning the car around towards their destination.

When they arrived at Margaret's, the woman raced out to meet them. "Hello officers," she said. "I called for you."

"You said there was a burglar?" Mark asked while his partner looked around. "Any idea who it might be?"

"Officer I think we can skip the —" Margaret began to say before she was interrupted by Mark.

"The step can't be skipped madam, it is essential you tell us all you remember so we can find this degenerate," he said.

"But I already know who it is," she said.

"You do? Well that certainly makes our jobs easier, do tell," Mark said, amused.

"It's the neighbor who lives in the next compound," she whispered. "That's where the burglar went today when it happened."

"Ma'am, can you tell us about what you're missing?" Leroi asked her.

"Some of the wood I set aside for my fireplace is gone and so are some of my gardening tools," she said, happy she at least had proof. "The woman who lives in that house has a garden too so I'm sure she has something to do with this."

"Okay ma'am, we will check it out and let you know how it goes," they told her before leaving.

"Strange woman," Leroi said before leading the way to the suspect's house.

"Must be some female feud," Mark joked.

"I certainly hope not, those are often messier than they appear; remember that case with the two roommates who wanted to kill each other?"

"How could I not? It gives me the shivers each time I think about their lethal attempts," Mark said, shaking off another shiver as his mind went back to the case that had ended with both females murdering each other.

When they arrived at the suspect's house, they knocked until a frail-looking woman named Sherry answered the door.

"What can I do for you?" she asked the police, who were trying to look past her into the house but had little luck seeing into the tiny crack she had opened.

"Police here ma'am, we have a few questions for you and we would be mighty glad if you cooperate with us."

"Of course officers," the older woman responded after a slight pause. She opened the door a little wider, and both officers stepped in, immediately getting assaulted by the sight before them.

The house was mostly bare except for the bed that lay in the middle of the living room directly beside a large gas-powered oven — the woman had been using it to warm up her whole house to avoid paying for the costly electricity.

"I could only pick one," she told them when they asked her why. "I couldn't afford to get electricity and gas so I decided to pay for gas and use my cooker as a heater too."

"This is very dangerous," Leroi muttered.

Mark quickly turned off the gas before facing the woman to correct her. "This could be fatal for you and your neighbors if a fire breaks out so you shouldn't be doing it," he said gently.

Later, the two officers moved the oven back to its rightful place, but they did not feel like they had done all they could for the poor woman, so they decided to go the extra mile.

Mark got in touch with other cops, and together they were able to raise money to get Sherry a new electric heater free of charge. Their show of kindness touched Sherry.

"I've never had anyone do nothing for me for free," she said while holding back tears. "After my mother passed away and left me to take care of my two sisters, nobody ever did anything to help me."

"You deserve this Sherry," Mark said.

Later that day, more cops turned up at Margaret's home, and they helped her install an electric fireplace. For days, her house was visited by cops who brought her various gifts.

Her neighbors saw this and were moved to do the same; many brought electric devices that made life convenient for her while others presented her with more food than she possibly needed.

Even Margaret, who had started the whole thing, visited to give her some more gardening tools. "You should have simply asked Sherry, I would have spared you some," she said, after which the other woman apologized.

That night, Sherry slept in a good bed surrounded by warmth generated from objects donated with love. It was more than she could have hoped for, and she was forever grateful.

What did we gain from this story?

• Be kind; you never know what you might start. When Mark and Leroi decided to help Sherry with her problems, they did it out of the goodness of their hearts. It was meant to be a one-time thing, but their colleagues opted in as well, and very soon, the whole community was in on it as though they had all simply been waiting for a trigger. Be that trigger.
• Regardless of the circumstances, do not steal. Sherry stole some of Margaret's supplies, and she could have been in trouble for that had she not done it because of her circumstances. Stealing is punishable by the law, so avoid it; like Margaret told Sherry, it is always better to ask than to steal.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about the cops who responded to an emergency call and found an unconscious woman with a baby girl in the house.

This account is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com