Shawn Lisitsa and Jack Bozikis
11 hours ago
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Sophia's Angels Kitchen will remain open for business despite being damaged by several incidents of vandalism.
Demetrius Herron, 36, has been in trouble at Sophia's Kitchen multiple times in recent weeks. He was arrested in early June on a felony charge of theft for breaking and attempting to steal from Sophia's Kitchen. The felony case is currently pending in court.
Herron was released after posting bail and was notified to appear in court at a later date. On June 18, he allegedly broke a window at Sophia's Kitchen, an incident that led to him being charged with misdemeanor criminal damage to property.
A judge last week agreed with prosecutors and allowed Herron to remain on pretrial release, but on the condition that he stay at least 500 feet away from the food bank.
Claire Krohn, program director at Sophia's Kitchen, said they are taking security measures to prevent him from returning.
“The Peoria Police Department has been great. They've worked very hard with us. They've been very active in keeping an eye on him and keeping an eye on us. But we've also beefed up our security system, so it's much stronger now. The glass that we put on the building at this point is going to be stronger than the glass that was there originally,” Krohn said.
She said the food bank had been providing food to Herron before the vandalism began.
“He was actually one of our clients. We were feeding him. He came in line for the food pantry. We gave him food. So it wasn't like he was hungry. But it was really unfortunate for us because we obviously give away food for free. We're happy to give it to you. You know, if you need food, we make sure you don't go hungry. So if he'd come in at a reasonable time, not in the middle of the night, we would have been here and we would have given him food,” Krohn said.
Sophia's Kitchen said windows and doors have been damaged in recent days, and that one arrest has been made in connection with the incidents.
The incidents have cost the kitchen thousands of dollars in unexpected expenses, Sophia's said, and the chain is also reviewing its security system and looking to upgrade it if necessary.
If you would like to donate to help cover the cost of repairs, you can donate here or mail to 105 N Richard Pryor Place, Peoria, IL 61605.
According to its website, Sophia's Kitchen has more than 150 volunteers who come together to make lunches to give back to those in need in Peoria.
This story will be updated.
