Homeless man severely injured in Drain
DRAIN, Ore - Drain resident Tawny Erickson leaves flowers by the town's covered bridge. This is where a homeless man, known as "Mikey," was found unconscious Tuesday morning. Douglas County Sheriff's are investigating the incident as an accident but residents KVAL spoke with fear he may have been attacked.
"You can see the blood stains and the blood marks and they were out here with the fire hose squirting it but there was just so much of it it didn't come out," says Erickson.
Mikey - whose full name is Michael Smith - was allegedly found by teenagers walking to school. Several residents tell KVAL he was the only homeless man in town. This made him an easy target for past beatings.
"We've heard there are some kids that have been beating him up," says resident Shannon Irizarry. "He wakes up to getting beat from these kids. He's said to us he doesn't want to fight back. He just wants them to leave him alone."
According to a Douglas County Sheriff press release it appears Smith fell and hit his head on the pavement.
Residents tell KVAL they embraced Smith because of his gentle nature.
While they wait to hear of Smith's health, many are hoping that soon this member of their community, although without a house, will be well enough to return home.
