KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A local heating, cooling and plumbing company has helped 10 families this winter through an essay contest. LBA Heating and Plumbing repaired or replaced broken appliances for the families after they were nominated for the award. However, contest organizers now say they were lied to by one of the families.
“It feels like we were stabbed in the back,” said Brad McGhee, General Manager of LBA Heating and Plumbing.
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Louis and Amanda Jones had major plumbing problems and a broken furnace in their Independence home. Earlier in the month, LBA repaired multiple drains, toilets and plumbing problems in the basement. They even fixed the leaking furnace.
Amanda is pregnant, expecting her third child and her husband, Louis, is paralyzed from the waist down.
After the storied air, calls and emails came into to FOX 4 and LBA stating that the Jones family was claiming to be something they are not.
Louis is paralyzed because he was shot in the shoulder in July 2012. Jones told FOX 4 and LBA he was shot while he was at work, setting up an auction block in Lafayette County — but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
According to the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office, Jones was involved in a felony burglary back in July at a home in Lafayette County with another man.
The probable cause statement said the homeowner watched two men approach his side door. The homeowner then grabbed his .45 caliber handgun. The report states, the homeowner watched his screen door swing open, then the other door was kicked in, so he fired, shooting Jones in the shoulder.
“It is a little upsetting, knowing that we were lied to and not told the truth here,” said McGhee. “There are people out there that are in need that we wanted to help and absolutely deserve this type of stuff from us.”
The other nine winners in the joint contest between LBA and radio stations MIX 93 and KFKF are in fact worthy of help and are not accused of committing a felony.
The past four winters have been especially tough for the Parker Family. They have not had a working furnace since 2009.
“A couple of days ago, my husband even told me, can you turn down the heat,” said Kelly Parker laughing. “I haven’t heard that before,”
The Parker family used to spend the winters bundled up inside with space heaters. Now they have a new furnace, new thermostat and a new air conditioner unit.
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