A McKinney homeowner who was facing tens of thousands of dollars in damage because of a SWAT team standoff at her home, says she’s grateful for the companies that have stepped up to help.
The standoff left her floor, walls, windows, backyard fence, roof and garage door badly damaged.
Companies came out of the woodwork to help after an NBC 5 report in August.
“Everything about the story was horrific,” said Justin Wenokur, co-owner of Parish Roofing Solutions.
The story started in July when McKinney police say a man suspected of kidnapping chose Baker’s home to hold the girl hostage.
The girl was released unharmed but the suspect died by suicide after an eight-hour standoff that left the Baker’s home in shambles.
“The hazmat team that went out there, they stopped counting at 20 gas canisters,” Baker said.
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Baker said her insurance company covered the cost of clean-up.
In late August, the city denied her claim for damages saying, "the officers have immunity while in the course and scope of their job duties."
Baker said she was facing more than $80,000 worth of repairs through no fault of her own.
To make matters worse, she was in the process of selling the home to help pay for her retirement. She said the buyer, understandably, backed out of the deal the day after the standoff.
The story had many scratching their heads and many came to Baker’s rescue.
Randy Parish and Wenokur co-own Parish Roofing Solutions. They said they’d been looking for ways to give back to the community. When they saw Baker’s story, they were compelled to help.
“We're both raising small children and we want to show them that love is the way, especially at times like this, when things feel more divided than usual,” Wenokur said. The company repaired the fence and roof.
Overhead Door of Dallas replaced the garage door and its motor.
Home Depot is replacing the broken windows.
“[It’s] just a crazy story where anything like this could happen,” Home Depot Sales Consultant John Perry said. “I’ve never heard anything like this happen like this before where insurance didn't cover a home basically being ripped apart.”
Baker said she's still come out of pocket for some repairs but the help makes it manageable.
“They've been absolutely amazing and I can't say enough good about the people that have stepped forward,” Baker said. She added she hoped to have the home back on the market soon.
