BY ANNIE HOLLER
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — As snow fell and temperatures plunged Saturday night, Martin County Sheriff John Kirk spent hours tracking a homeless man through businesses, roadways and neighborhoods in Inez in an effort to keep him alive.
The situation first came to the sheriff’s attention shortly after dark, when a call came in from a Blacklog Road motel reporting a man who had nowhere to go.
An employee at the Brookeshire Inn said the man was on the premises with no means to pay for a room and had instead “taken up residence” in the lobby.
“The man had taken off his socks and shoes and was on the couch there in the lobby,” said Kirk. “He had made himself comfortable and ignored the employees when they asked him to leave.”
After the sheriff escorted the man from the motel and off the property, the situation escalated a short time later when the man crossed the parking lot and entered the nearby ambulance service building through an unsecured door.
“He went in and basically acted like he owned the place and removed a frozen dinner from the refrigerator, heated it in the microwave and ate it for dinner,” Kirk said.
The incident was not isolated, according to the sheriff. Deputies have encountered the man around Inez over the past several months.
“This guy is homeless and has been for quite a while, and many know his situation,” said Kirk. “At one time, he had assembled a few discarded boards at a place on Black Log and framed up a small shelter and put a tarp over it to keep him in the dry. I am not sure what happened to that or if the weather was what drove him out, but we have been seeing him around town more.”
Throughout the encounter Saturday night, the sheriff repeatedly offered to transport the man to a local warming shelter, but the man refused.
“He told me just to leave him alone—that we were the problem and that he was fine,” said Kirk. “I am not sure why he chose businesses to try to enter for shelter, but I spent a few hours basically following his trail from one to another.”
As the night wore on, the man’s movements became increasingly erratic, the sheriff said.
“He banged on the door of the Mexican Restaurant, which was closed. He then went to the NAPA building and did the same, and then to Bluelight Bargains. Each time, I made him leave and asked him time and time again to please let me take him to a warming station. His clothes were soaking wet. He was adamant he would not go to one.”
Kirk said none of the businesses the man entered wished to press charges. They only requested that he be removed from their property. More than anything, he said, those involved expressed concern for the man’s safety.
Shortly after making him leave the Bluelight Bargains parking lot, the sheriff was notified again. The caller reported that the man had dropped his belongings in the middle of the road, stopped to gather them and was nearly struck by a snowplow.
“If the snowplow driver had not reacted in a split second and been able to swerve into the other lane, he would have struck the man,” said Kirk. “This situation could have easily ended with the worst possible outcome.”
The man was later located outside a residence on Murray Lane by Martin County Coroner Chris Todd, who alerted the sheriff. At that point, the man was reportedly talking to himself and exhibiting concerning behavior.
Fearing he could be a danger to himself, Kirk placed the man in custody under a warrantless arrest, which temporarily puts a person under a medical hold for evaluation. Although such evaluations often result in a 72-hour hold, Kirk received a call approximately 14 hours later saying the man was being released.
“Usually, a family member or friend picks a person up in these situations, but this man has no one, so I was called. When I got there, my main objective was to get him to agree to go to a warming station, because he could not be back on the streets in the frigid cold. He could have frozen to death. This time, he finally agreed,” said Kirk.
After transporting the man to a local warming center, Kirk contacted his son, J.C. Kirk, and asked him to go to a nearby store before closing to purchase clothing, as the man was still wearing wet garments.
“We managed to get him some sweatpants and shirts, t-shirts, underwear, socks and a jacket, but they did not have any shoes to fit him. He wears a size 8-1/2. I want to try to get him a pair of boots because, being in his situation, he needs something to keep his feet warm and dry. When the warming station closes, he is going to be back out in the cold.”
Kirk said the experience brings to light a broader problem facing the community.
“Listen, folks, whether we want to admit it or not, the homeless population in Martin County is growing, and it is not going away. Yes, some are on the streets because they have made bad life decisions, but others had a family, a job, a life. And for reasons beyond their control, they lost everything. Not everyone has a caring family that will lend a hand to help when someone is down. Not everyone gets an offer of a place to stay. Sometimes those who they thought would help turn a blind eye and justify to themselves and to others that the person’s bad luck was of their own doing. Believing there is no help, they lose hope and wind up on the street.”
The sheriff admitted that he does not know what solution would definitively end homelessness. However, he believes the problem is worsening and requires immediate attention.
“I have heard in the past and again here recently that we may get a homeless shelter, and that would be an answer to a prayer. But what if it does not happen? Maybe we need more affordable housing, additional assistance to help pay rent for those out of work. I know we need to strive hard to provide some jobs for those who want to help themselves and turn their luck around. Why can’t we, as a county, hire them to cut weeds and pick up garbage instead of hiring contractors? And before you say, ‘They will not work,’ how do you know until you ask? I am not saying they would all fit the bill, but some would.”
He noted that solutions could also involve partnerships and outside funding.
Kirk said he often thinks about tiny house communities that he has seen in other towns, with the structures sometimes built by Amish volunteers.
“Are there grants available for projects like these? What would be required for us to qualify?” he questioned. “I would love to enlist help from some kind-hearted volunteers to do a little research. We do not know what we might be able to accomplish unless we try, and we have to start somewhere.”
Beyond policy ideas and funding questions, Kirk said, the human toll of homelessness is what stays with him most.
“Until you have witnessed a man carrying all his worldly possessions in a small garbage bag, standing in front of you in soaking wet clothes and shivering from the cold, knowing full well he has no place to go that is safe and warm, you may not ever grasp the seriousness and hopelessness of being homeless. We can turn our backs and pretend not to see it, but that does not make it go away. In reality, it is all around us. The scariest part of all is realizing many people are only a payday away from being one of these statistics.”