Veteran, 93, recovering after home robbery
When a man came to his house looking to steal his wallet, 93-year-old Walter Carmack couldn’t do much to fight back.
But Carmack, a World War II veteran who spent years working as a lineman for Pacific Northwest Bell, said that wouldn’t have been the case when he was a younger man.
“If I could’ve gone back 30 or 40 years, I could have tied that guy up in a knot,” he said, grinning slightly.
The man accused of beating Carmack in a strong-arm robbery Jan. 25 had been to the apartment in Browne’s Addition before.
Carmack owns the house his apartment is in, along with another rental on the same block. He said Todd Simms first showed up about a week before the robbery, claiming Carmack owed him $20 for doing maintenance work.
Carmack paid Simms, but he was back a few days later asking if he could trim trees to earn more money. When he was turned away, Simms came back a final time and shoved his way inside the door, Carmack said.
“He started getting rough with me. He grabbed the phone out of my hand,” he said. Simms, who’s 46, then hit Carmack in the face several times and took his wallet, leaving the older man bleeding and dazed.
Police arrested Simms after he allegedly used Carmack’s stolen credit cards. He faces a first-degree robbery charge and has a criminal history in several other states, including convictions for burglary and grand theft auto.
Carmack has lived alone since his wife of more than 60 years, Ann, died four years ago. His son and daughter both live in the area and check on him regularly.
Because he’s a landlord, he said it’s not uncommon for people to show up on his doorstep, and he’s generally trusting of people in the area.
Though he doesn’t feel Browne’s Addition has become dangerous since he moved there in 1950, he’s asking people to call him before they come over so he knows who’s knocking at his door, he said.
Other than that, he said, the attack hasn’t made him more afraid.
Said Carmack, “There’ve been bad people in this world for a long time.”