CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The US Army veteran whose Padre Island neighbors say was being harassed by Corpus Christi Development Services is celebrating an update in his journey toward financial recovery.
Josh Hopkins is a personal injury attorney who represents Derek Debowski pro-bono. The Herrman and Herrman lawyer told 3NEWS that he has reached an understanding with the city after filing a temporary restraining order against them on behalf of Debowski in late August.
In the meantime, Kevin Hankins, the man who first organized the Neighbors Helping Neighbors effort to assist the veteran, has launched a community fundraiser to help Debowski pay off his fines. The goal is set at $20,000 to cover the costs of fines and fees he has incurred over the years. So far, it has raised almost $1,000. You can find the link to donate here: GiveSendGo | Neighbors Helping Derek Debowski
Hopkins said the city has agreed to let the community finish the work needed to bring Debowski's home up to code without continued abatements. He said it looks like Code Enforcement will leave Debowski alone as long as his yard is mowed, and his housework is completed.
Derek Debowski said the skin on his back was still healing from burns when he received his first code-enforcement violation in 2020.
The US Army veteran and Texas A&M University graduate woke up to a fire engulfing his garage in the middle of the night on March 17, 2020, burning himself when he went into the garage to try and save his dog.
But it was too late. Debowski's therapy dog, "Buddy" -- who helped him cope with his PTSD after being shot in Afghanistan -- was killed in the fire.
The truck he used for work also was lost, and parts of his home suffered serious smoke damage.
It was the beginning of a disastrous domino-effect for Debowski.
A few days later COVID-19 lockdowns began. Devastated and reeling from the loss of his best friend, his job, his insurance and part of his home, his four-year struggle with code enforcement began.
'If his grass grows an inch, there's a city code person here'
Neighbor Kevin Hankins first called 3NEWS several days before to report an ongoing scene involving police and code-enforcement officers on Aug. 2, and on Tuesday that the city had been out at the property multiple times.
He told 3NEWS that though he had seen Debowski around town for years and knew of his reputation as a handyman around The Island, but wasn't able to connect with him until about a month ago.
"I finally caught up to him," Hankins said.
He believes that the continued run-ins with the department could stem from a neighbor concerned with their property values. If not that, he says he believes the department could have a vendetta against his neighbor.
"That's not true," said the city of Corpus Christi's Development Services Director. "Code Enforcement is bound to respond to the complaints that they receive from the citizenry. Whether those come through 311 or other sources, but when those are sent to us, then we are obligated to investigate that."
The department's primary concern, she said, was the severely damaged garage. During one of the latest "abatements," or clean-ups, she said her officers collected debris and mowed the front and back yards.
Debowski told 3NEWS no one from the city ever offered him any help after a fire burned down his home in 2020.
The homeowner said officers have been to his property dozens of times, charging him thousands of dollars in fines and fees with each visit. He estimates he now owes about $20,000 in fines and between $40,000-$50,000 in service fees.
He said the abatements he's been billed for come with a 50 percent surcharge.
"They pulled weeds for all of 10 minutes," Hankins said.
He said the city even had his water meter cut out of the ground.
Cantu told us her department is simply following protocol to keep everyone safe.
"Our objective is to protect the integrity of the neighborhood," she said. "It's to address the code violations that are health and safety concerns that are safety concerns for the property, that are safety concerns for the property owner," she said. "But also, the surrounding neighborhood and people that live in the nearby area."
She told us that her officers have made several attempts to make contact with Debowski over the years.
"We've made every effort to try to work with him," said Cantu. "But, like I said, we're at a certain point...he's become nonresponsive. That's where code enforcement had to step in and abate the property."
The Army vet admits to having been out of contact, and even unreachable to the department, while dealing with the loss of his home and the only solace he had to help with his PTSD.
Helping hands for veterans
Throughout the ordeal, Debowski has never tried to reach out to veterans groups for help.
In fact, when asked by 3NEWS if he was a veteran, he said 'no,' even though his Hankins and other neighbors insist he is. They said this is because he received a bad conduct discharge from the Army, Hankins said.
While it it's not as severe as a dishonorable discharge, it limits what benefits are available to veterans.
However, Nueces County Veterans Services Director JJ De La Cerda says there may still be hope.
"I can assist the veteran in filing for a discharge upgrade," he said. "Additionally, if the veteran can get at least 3 character of service letters from friends, family, priest, or employer stating that he is a great person, a productive member of society, etc… that would help."
Many of his neighbors told 3NEWS how Debowski has used the engineering knowledge acquired with his degree to help them fix things around their homes.
De La Cerda said that once the discharge upgrade is submitted to the veteran’s branch of service, it can take approximately a year to receive the decision.
"And I will say that, it’s hard to get a good result in these cases, because every veterans case is unique in their own way," he said. "But it’s worth a try!"
'I'm ashamed that I need so much help from my neighbors'
After speaking with Cantu several times and growing more and more upset with what he feels is code enforcement invading the homeowners' property and privacy, Hankins organized community volunteers and several local businesses to donate their time and resources to help the veteran get on the right path.
Within slightly more than a week, Hankins has seen to the removal of the substandard garage on Derek's property and days later, most of the debris on the front yard had been removed.
Hankins says that the effort is a testament to the power of working with Debowski, rather than penalizing him.
"No individual should go through this, especially an individual who has served in our armed forces," he said. "We have qualified people who are willing to do the work for free, and the city is refusing to allow that."
Neighbors and Padre Island Baptist Church members also gathered Saturday to help the Army veteran remove debris and clean the inside of his home in the hopes of eventually bringing his home up to code.
"I'd pretty much given up on anything," Debowski said. "Until Kevin showed up, I pretty much thought that everybody hated me."
They said their hope is to see him get back on his feet and ended their work session with a prayer.
"We were working on a resolution to resolve this for all parties through community action," he said. "We would come in as a group of volunteers and take care of this. Mr. Debowski doesn't cause a problem to anybody. If he had his utilities and could function -- They discontinued his trash service so he can't even throw things away. They treat him very poorly."
Without working electricity or utilities in his home, neighbors said they often see Debowski fishing for food.
Hankins alleges that the continued abatements are a form of harassment, and actually keep Debowski from getting back on his feet.
"He's in bad shape, he needs some serious help," he said. "He's somewhat functional, but his PTSD plays hard against him. It's not a comfortable thing."
Which is why Hankins said he quickly organized the "Neighbors Helping Neighbors" group that has come to the veteran's aid.
Debowski thanked the business owners who donated resources that made the construction on his house possible Saturday.
Cantu told 3NEWS that the property was making progress in the right direction after seeing some of the work completed.
When asked why he was so motivated to help a man he only me a month ago, Hankins said he is driven by his faith.
"It's just the right thing to do, and nobody should be treated that way," he said.
As volunteers and code enforcement work to clear Debowski's front yard, there's one piece that remains -- a shrine to honor his fallen friend.
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