Police find 'homeless' man dead with $85,000 in drugs, cash
YAKIMA, Wash. -- Police found one of Yakima's most frequent panhandlers dead in his car Tuesday night. Officers found nearly $2,000 along with half a pound of heroin worth $83,000.
Yakima police believe the panhandler found at Taco Bell died of an overdose. The Yakima County Coroner later identified the man as 56-year-old Douglas Budd.
"That's more than a lot of people make in a year?" Action News asked.
"It's a lot more then people make in a year," said Yakima police captain Rod Light.
"But he was asking for a dollar saying he was homeless on a corner?" Action News asked.
"Exactly," Light said. "These people are not homeless."
But other panhandlers told us a different story. "Jack" said he's tried everything since he lost his job and his hope.
"Very frustrating, it's been a long time since I had some money," Jack said.
Jack hopes pen to cardboard will put a few bucks in his pocket.
"[I] heard from people that they make good money holding a sign on the street corner," he said.
Money he uses to buy food, water, and sometimes shelter unlike his late co-worker.
"[It] just puts a bad reputation on people who are homeless," Jack said. "Makes me angry."
And while Jack might be an honest man, Yakima Police Captain Rod Light says most, like the man found last night, are not.
"They'll say whatever they need to say or do to get a buck from you," Light said.
Why in the world do people continue to give these folks that stand, or sit by major intersections holding signs that the average person cannot even understand and give them money? I had to convince my Asian girlfriend to quit giving them money by telling her that they make about $60,000 a year and pay no taxes!!
 @boned  Is your gf's ethnicity somehow relevant to this story?
I never give money to the Poverty Pimps; they use it for drugs & booze too!
Whatever are they talking about...I make $2000 a year!
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If he were a long-time heroin addict, he probably died happy, with as much heroin as he could have wanted.Â
Put this in the category of arguments for legalizing everything as one method for letting societal ills self-regulate.
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NEVER give homeless people money or material goods, EVER! Give those things to agencies that work toward solving the problem of homelessness. If homeless people were forced to get their freebies from such an agency, the counselors there could begin building trust, dealing with their clients' addictions and mental health issues, and assist people in getting off the street permanently. Sad truth is, many homeless people prefer the that lifestyle to a life of structure and adult responsibility. Everything is so much easier if you can get chumps on freeway offramps to give you money.
"Money he uses to buy food, water, and sometimes shelter unlike his late co-worker."
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That's the very first time I've ever heard of the act of bumming money being considered a job. Interesting.
@OSUx2 The world is changing :)
to the annoying ones i'll give them a penny and say "dont spend it all in one place"
Back when the gas prices first started really rising I saw a guy outside the gas station waving a little gas can at people and asking if they could spare a few bucks. When I was inside the store paying for mine I asked the clerk how much it would be to fill his little can. He told me don't bother, they and others had offered to fill it and the guy said no, he just wants the cash. Â
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I tried to do a good deed but ya just cant trust them. I don't want to be a part of enabling a drug addict.
LOL!! I had one female come by me at the gas station 3 times in 2 weeks asking for gas, I asked her where the car was and to take me to it She claimed it was 2 miler away, I offered to drive her there and help her fill the car, she refused...Another day, another scam for some of them..
This is definitely the most horribly written article I have read since reading school papers in 7th grade!  What editor with half a brain would allow this article to be published as is?  Interesting story I guess, I just can't get around the grammar.Â
 @Talitha PedroAmbrosio Welcome to KATU.
Just another reason I don't give any money to these folks.
My wife and I handed out "goody bags" for Christmas this year. They had wool socks, blankets, food, home baked goods, gloves, etc. You would be surprised by how many people turned them down. BUT, for every person that turned it down, there was another who was extremely thankful.
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 @Fed up Fed Most likely he officer meant Panhandler since that is the general context of his comment.
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""But he was asking for a dollar saying he was homeless on a corner?" Action News asked.
"Exactly," Light said. "These people are not homeless.""
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He didn't say homeless were homeless. I have sympathy for the homeless... I don't for panhandlers. Kind of like the one who was working the Chemawa I5 ramp in Salem with his 'broken' leg in a cast... that depending on the day, would be on his right leg, and other days on the left. Or the guy who worked another intersection with a dirty face and dirty backpack and broken down bike and really nice freshly laundered fashion stonewash jeans. While there may be some legitimate panhandlers, it's very rare to find one who actually is homeless as the officer was saying.
 @Fed up Fed "~85% of the homeless experience less than a month on the streets." So they really are NOT homeless. thanks for making the cops point with that data!
Fed up Fed, so may I sk where you get your info??
I never give change to panhandlers. If I want to make a difference, I donate to the local charities that help the homeless. That way I know the money will be used for it's intended purpose. That whole cross section of the community is soaked in booze, meth, and heroin, and I am not the one that will fund their habits. a lot of the time, those are the exact reasons they are homeless.Â
On another note. Panhandling should be banned and loitering laws should be enforced a lot more. Maybe they wont flock here from all over the country if it wasn't so hospitable . Transients come here because we have so many services available for them.
@PDXBEAR Apparently it's logical day today for you bear. Nice to see.
Exactly why people should not give any money to these "homeless" panhandlers. If people stop enabling these pandhandlers, they will stop harassing motorists and pedestrians.
Not a fan of panhandlers but given that these guys might be walking and digging around in areas you and I wouldn't, perhaps he came across a drop or ditched stash and decided to give it a try? Â
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It's just weird that even a panhandler would buy so much at one time. Â I would guess that a habit like that would keep you stringing it along day by day. Â I think that saving up $80K would be a stretch for any heroin addict as would saving that much up as a panhandler (they don't make THAT much in a month) just to spend it all at once for a fix?? Â Doesn't add up.
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@negativerep There is probably a really PO'ed heroin dealer out there, who can't believe he trusted this guy to make a delivery for him.
Maybe somebody dropped it in his car on accident. Could it have fallen out of the sky? What if people from the future came back and planted it on him? Oh oh oh, I know.. it was the CIA, right?
 @JGalt It was the heroin fairies again..
 @JGalt LOL!  Fine.  I guess it might have been the big score he's been working on for years or something.  It just doesn't seem likely to me.
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This is exactly why I don't give panhandlers money. Donate your time and money to people who truly try hard to get back on their feet - not people who are looking for a hand out.
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I go to a Subway by my work and there was a young man - probably about my age, who worked there. He was really happy and upbeat, but he was also a street kid. He eventually stopped working there, now I see him wandering around obviously on heroin or meth or who knows what drug. He always asks you for money and he's rude about it. I refuse to give him money because he made the choice to lose the steady income he had and get on the streets. I don't feel sympathy for people who do nothing to get their money, homeless or rich.
There is s young couple that panhandles regularly at the entance to the shopping center I frequent. She holds the sign whiel he hides in the bushes out of sight. She must really love him.....
Don't feed the bears...
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If you feel compelled to buy into the scam only give money to good organizations that will provide only food, clothes, and lodging at a rate of 90% or more to those in need. This will not totally solve the issue since they will spend any money on drugs when they get the basics for free but is way better then encouraging them to pan handle.
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They would not be out there very long if no one gave them money...
 @FreedomRocks Your logic will not sway those ruled by emotions. Unfortunately.
I think it is better to donate money or time to organizations that can better help with the homeless. Giving money to panhandlers is similar to feeding wild animals...it only enables them to become dependent upon that means of survival. And since many of the panhandlers are addicted, the money given to them goes right into furthering the depth of their addiction which can lead to future violence.Â
Not to mention, it fattens the pockets of those that deal in death. As Steppenwolf once said, "God damn the pusher."
I use to give money to pan handlers, now if I see one I'll swing by a store or fast food join and buy a 5 dollar value meal or some food from the store and come back and give that to them.
I also tried that method until I took a guy into McDonalds with me and he asked if he could get more things. Beggars can't be choosers.
 @cantcurestupid How many gave you dirty looks since they really only wanted your cash not food or a job as they claim?
 @FreedomRocks  @cantcurestupid I had someone throw food at me after I gave them something to eat. Their sign said, "Hungry, anything helps." Well I guess they weren't so hungry... That is what made me not want to help. I also got SCREAMED at when I put my money in a ticket machine downtown and wouldn't give a homeless lady a dollar. I told her I sold my a** for 20 bucks, and she should go do the same. Im really sick of it personally. I cant even go downtown without getting brow beaten for cash and cigarettes anymore. It got old yesterday.
He had to launder his drug funds and have an excuse to loiter the streets. Not a bad business model for the industry. Now he's dead. lol.
If you must feel compelled to give money, give to a reputable organization. These homeless have organizations that they can go to for food and clothing. Many organizations go mobile. The largest portion of homeless people are addicts either drugs or alcohol. giving to them only fuels their habits.  Giving to an organization that helps them means they will get the care of food, warmth, clothing that you intended them to have.
If this happens in Yakima, just think how bad it is in Portland, where the deadbeats and panhandlers are above the law.
I used to feel really sad for a homeless amputee who 'worked' the freeway exit at 205 and Glisan as I passed by each morning on my way to work. Then, one day on my lunch break I drove past him on Burnside where he was walking along (using his prosthetic leg) in clean clothes talking on his cell phone. WTF???
This is why I never give money to panhandlers anymore.