JACKSONVILLE, Ark — A Jacksonville man who had been dreaming of building his own home is now living in a nightmare after learning someone vandalized his property overnight.
"Pretty much half of my foundation is missing," Jacksonville resident Jeffery White said. "It's destroyed... all in pieces on the backside of that wall over there, and just this little L-shaped brick right here cost $1,100."
White said it's taken him 17 months to build the foundation due to the cost of the materials. Just when he thought he was making headway, he's back at square one.
"I have to chisel all that old concrete off before [I] can even start laying bricks again," White said. "I have to go all the way to the foundation to these center blocks and redo it from the ground up."
For White, building your own home is supposed to be an exciting time, but now it's become stressful.
"I just have a feeling of hopelessness, and it's going to keep happening until I can build this thing," White said. "I've been sleeping out of my vehicle for 17 months, and it's hot out here."
White said he has filed a police report with the Jacksonville Police Department. His neighbors caught some of the vandalism on their security camera, which he hopes the police can use to get a lead on any possible suspects.
"It's motion activated, so there is a period between 6:00 and 6:14 where you can see everything still intact," White said. "After 6:14, everything is on the ground."
Now, White said he's uncertain of what the future holds for him and his future home after going through this challenging and expensive time.
"Center blocks after tax are like $3.68 a brick, and lumber skyrocketed," White said. "Just to buy a 20-foot board now used to cost close to $15, now it's $28 after tax... I don't know when I will ever get this thing built."
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Jacksonville Police Department at (501) 982-3191.