Family, victims of fire, now victims of looters

The Daily Inter Lake

A young Evergreen couple reeling from the loss of their belongings in a house fire Oct. 10 discovered Wednesday the burned remains had been ransacked and numerous items were stolen.

Among the items missing from Aaron and Sherry Wiebe's burned home on Solberg Drive was an irreplaceable antique ring.

"It was my grandmother's wedding ring that I had just gotten," Sherry Wiebe said. "My grandpa bought the ring for her, and she died on their 70th anniversary last year."

The Wiebes were married in July, and Sherry's sister made a special trip from North Dakota to deliver the ring willed to Sherry by her grandmother. The gold ring is set with a black onyx and small diamond.

Also stolen were a Johnny Jump-Up bouncing swing that had been retrieved from the home and was sitting outside. It was the only piece of baby equipment for their 10-month-old son that wasn't destroyed in the blaze. CDs, a flashlight, coin change and costume jewelry were among the other stolen items. The couple reported the thefts to the sheriff's office.

The Daily Inter Lake published a story last week about the Wiebes' need for furniture, appliances, baby items and clothing. They had no insurance on the mobile home they had purchased a couple of months ago.

Sherry Wiebe said they've gotten numerous donations of baby items, but could still use furniture and household goods. The couple also needs clothes. Sherry wears a size 14-tall clothing and size 9 1/2 to 10 shoes, and Aaron wears 32-30 pants and size 10 shoes.

Call 752-0902 to arrange for donations.