Friday, February 12, 2016

Fundraiser held for local attack victim

(Originally published in the 2/12/16 edition)

   A fundraiser was held Saturday at the Benicia Safeway for its manager, who is recovering from a brutal attack that occurred Feb. 2. 
   Christine Joens, 37,  was walking back to her car in the parking lot of a Wells Fargo bank on Tennessee Street in Vallejo when she was struck over the head with a hammer in an apparent violent robbery. Joens was transported to a local hospital where she is being treated for her critical injuries. 
   William David King, a 19-year-old Vallejo resident and Benicia High School alum, was arrested on the suspicion of committing two violent crimes over the course of two days. On Feb. 3, 63-year-old Suisun City resident Cheryl Ann Sherwood was in the parking lot near Macy’s and Best Buy outside the Solano Town Center shopping mall in Fairfield when King allegedly struck her in the head with a baseball bat. Sherwood was sent to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, which she succumbed to on Friday, Feb. 5.
   King confessed to the crimes and is being charged at the Solano County Superior Court for robbery, murder and attempted murder. 
   A fundraiser for Joens was held Saturday at the Benicia Safeway, located at 50 Solano Square. Patrons enjoyed hot dogs, chips and sodas with all the profits going toward Joens’ medical costs.
   “We raised $6,000,” a Safeway staff member who requested anonymity said. “People are also dropping things off at the store, and we make sure she gets them.” 
   Additionally, Joens’ friend, Krystal Huffman, set up a fundraiser on the crowdfunding site GoFundMe.com to help pay for Joens’ medical costs. As of press time, the fundraiser has received $4,100 in donations from 104 people.

   To donate to Joens’ fundraising campaign, visit gofundme.com/zhmw63e7

No comments:

Post a Comment