Native Sun News Today Correspondent
RAPID CITY – A grandmother has been evicted from her house after nearly four years of living in Lakota Homes; due to a fire she had no responsibility for.
During the early morning hours of August 4, 2019, Connie Hopkins and her family were traveling back from Pine Ridge following the Oglala Nation Powwow. Upon arriving at her house in Lakota Homes in North Rapid, Hopkins smelled smoke. She originally thought it was a neighbor’s house, but soon found it was her own house. As she entered, the home was filled with smoke up to her knees.
Hopkins immediately had a family member call 911 as she entered the house with a water hose and went towards the room where the smoke was originating from. She was attempting to put out any flames she may have found. According to the grandmother, the fire department had arrived and contained the small fire located in one of the bedrooms of the house.
The family was away from the house for a “day and a half” while attending the powwow in Pine Ridge Village. During the time she was away, her granddaughter (11-years old) who was staying in a nearby residence had been coming in to feed the dog; she was chosen for this task because of her close relationship with the family pet. The granddaughter was staying in a home less than a block away, according to Hopkins.
During the fire investigation, Hopkins said her granddaughter was asked about the fire by officials from the fire department. The girl had admitted to lighting a “tall skinny candle” in the bedroom, but had later recanted that story; telling her grandmother that she was nervous and scared when talking to the officials. The granddaughter had stated she had put out the candle at about 9 p.m. on the night of August 3 and had returned to the residence she was staying at. Hopkins got home around 2 a.m. the following morning to find the back room had been on fire.
“I asked her a few days later, ‘Have you thought about this, about everything that happened, something that you remember?’ and she said, ‘I didn’t burn a candle, grandma’,” said Hopkins. “’I was scared. Besides when Fred said this was a meth lab; I’m only eleven years old. I don’t do drugs. I don’t even know nothing about that stuff.’” She said her granddaughter again stated she was scared when talking to the fire officials and answering all the questions.
Hopkins does not believe the cause of the fire was due to a candle that was allegedly lit and extinguished hours earlier and believes it may have been started from another source. She claims there was a cell phone in the room which may have exploded from being plugged in that may have started the fire. However the fire had started, Hopkins does not believe she is responsible for the fire and feels the eviction notice and sequence of notices she has received from Lakota Homes is necessary.
The fire has displaced Connie Hopkins and the four grandchildren she is raising in the home. Red Cross had housed the family in a motel room for a few days, but that soon ended and now the kids and grandmother are staying “here and there” with family and friends. Despite this, she still manages to get the kids on the bus for school in the morning. The home has been deemed uninhabitable due to smoke and fire damage.
Hopkins is being held responsible for the fire which caused $30,000 in damages. She did not have renters insurance. On August 12, Hopkins had received a Termination of Tenancy letter from Lakota Homes Property Manager, Fred Eisenbraun on behalf of the Integrity Management Company located in Waterville, Iowa.
The letter provided two reasons for the termination:
• Member Guide Violation of Page 24, Section IV. I: “Parents or guardians are responsible for the conduct of their children and adolescent guests at all times.”
• Occupancy Agreement Violation of Article 23: You are in material non-compliance with the Lease… (a) disrupt the livability of the project; (b) adversely affect the health or safety of any person or the right any tenant to the quiet enjoyment to the leased premises and related project facilities.
The letter had given Hopkins ten days to discuss the termination (August 23, 2019).Hopkins had sought out legal help in the matter regarding the fire and termination of tenancy, but was denied services by the Dakota Plains Legal Services.
Hopkins claims to have had a good relationship with Property Manager, Fred Eisenbraun, but was surprised when the former-police officer had allegedly told the grandmother that he suspected the bedroom was being used as a meth lab, according to Hopkins. The grandmother stated that she, nor her grandchildren ages 4-11, are not involved with meth use or production.
NATIVE SUN NEWS TODAY
Support Native media!
Read the rest of the story on Native Sun News Today: Grandma gets the boot after a fire in her home
Join the Conversation
