The Leechburg community wasted no time rallying around a local business after it was vandalized late Dec. 25.
Honeybee and Co. on Market Street has received monetary and product donations after the shop’s “Lovely Little Locker,” a donation cabinet filled with free hygiene items, was vandalized.
Destiney Beatty, who co-owns the store with her mother, Rachelle Beavers, learned about the vandalism when a regular customer sent her photos and videos of the damages.
“We thought something like this might happen, but never in a million years did we think it would be cans of formula dumped on the ground or all the diapers ripped in half. It was a shock to us,” Beatty said.
According to a criminal complaint, state police were dispatched just before midnight to check an automatic alarm going off in Leechburg’s business district on Market Street. On the way to the scene, police said they received a call from a witness saying Deanna Dennis, 44, of Houston, Pa.,was screaming, slapping windows and grabbing signs off the sidewalk and putting them in the road.
Police claimed Dennis was seen taking donated items out of the locker and throwing them into the street. Beatty said each bottle of formula was opened and dumped on the ground. Baby wipes were opened and thrown into the street. Diapers, tampons and pads in the locker were opened and ripped apart. The shop’s bench was also thrown in the middle of the street.
“It’s heartbreaking because we got so many big donations leading up to (the holiday) because we were planning on closing,” Beatty said. “We over-stuffed the locker.”
Beatty and her mother started the locker in October when the federal government shut down. They partnered with Amy Halter of Balance and Grow Counseling Center on Market Street. The two businesses paid for the locker’s contents with their own money and collect donations for it as well.
The locker holds pads, tampons, baby wipes, diapers, formula, and men’s and women’s deodorant, among other items people may need. The women stock the locker when needed.
“As a mom…I just know how expensive stuff can be,” Beatty said. “Sometimes, whenever you’re buying diapers and wipes and everything else, sometimes you don’t get yourself something that you need. The idea of the locker was to help people have the items they really need that shouldn’t be luxuries.”
The locker did not stay empty for long. Upon seeing the damages, Beatty took to Facebook to share what had happened.
“When I made my Facebook post, I was pretty angry about (the vandalism) and I feel like I didn’t really take into consideration that (Dennis) might’ve been struggling with something,” Beatty said. “I just know that people need that stuff.”
Beatty said she hopes Dennis is able to get the help she needs.
Almost immediately, the people of Leechburg joined forces to restock the locker. Beatty said since she initially made the post on Dec. 26, donations have come in from all over. She said the store received two shipments of supplies from the state of Indiana Monday morning. Different businesses including Elevated Hair Co. in Allegheny Township have set up collections to restock the locker.
Leechburg Mayor Doreen Smeal said she wanted to use her platform for good when she heard about the vandalism. She hoped posts requesting donations coming from the town’s mayor would incentivize people, not that the community needed any extra push, Smeal said.
“This community here, they rally for a good cause,” Smeal said.
Smeal learned about the incident from social media and immediately reached out to Beatty to offer her services.
“When someone’s in need, this community rallies like none I’ve ever seen,” Smeal said. “It makes me so proud to be a part of the community.”
On scene, police said they found Dennis on the sidewalk in front of Quarato and Quarato Inc. Plumbing on Market Street.
In addition to Honeybee and Co., witnesses told police Dennis allegedly disturbed multiple storefronts. They said she allegedly took signs from a nearby church and threw them into the road, broke the glass door of Mickey’s Quick Stop after throwing a “red weight” through the door and allegedly stole bags of salt from Quarato’s, cut them open and dumped them on the street. Micky’s Quick Stop did not return a call Monday afternoon.
The criminal complaint claims Dennis went to the Christmas tree in front of the Leechburg Police Station and threw its ornaments into the road. Police said she also went to the Leechburg Veterans Memorial and grabbed a wreath and multiple flags and threw them into the street.
Police said Dennis appeared to be under the influence of alcohol when she was detained just after midnight on Dec. 26. She is currently being held in Armstrong County Prison and is facing various misdemeanors including theft, disorderly conduct, property damage and vandalism of a cemetery. She’s also facing charges for public drunkenness.
Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 8 in front of District Judge James Andring.