Liberia-While suspect Thomas Etheridge petrifyingly reels from his current legal predicament for his alleged complicity in the fire incident at the Capitol Building, his home is not as he left it few days ago.
Unknown men, as community residents referred to them, burglarized suspect Etheridge’s home Tuesday night and literally swept everything in their path, this paper gathered.
Tom, as he is fondly called in his Kpeakor, Brewerville community, is presently in the custody of the Liberian government following his arrest, alleged torture at the National Security Agency (NSA) and subsequent charge for allegedly committing an act of arson.
Arson suspect who is an aide to embattled House Speaker, Cllr. J. Fornati Koffa was picked up recently by state security agents as a result of three-week investigations into the cause of the fire disaster at the Capitol Building, home of the National Legislature, which left the entire Joint Chambers of the historic building completely destroyed.
The Liberian government, through the Liberian Senate announced, few days after the incident that it would cost the country $1.8 million dollars to renovate the damaged Joint Chambers.
Neighbors of Tom told this paper Tuesday morning that his home was burglarized by men yet to be identified, who made away with valuable items including suitcases, shoes, flatscreens and other assets they could lay their hands on.
“This morning (Tuesday morning), we woke up to an alarming scene of burglary at Tom house; it was shocking. The House was broken into by unknown men who took every valuable they came across,” a neighbor told this paper.
“The boy is going through such a situation, and behind him, his house is burglarized,” the neighbor, a lady expressed. “They took shoes, wearing, flatscreens, and anything they could,” a neighbor of Tom said.
The female neighbor who did not want to be named informed our reporter she does not know who the intruders are, where they came from, or whether they are people familiar with the house.
But she lamented that the situation is too concerning and scaring considering the fact that it happened when Tom is going through hell, not aware when and how he would get out of the problem he is in.
According to her, the situation took them by surprise because they did not hear the dogs in the yard barking as they usually do, adding “the only thing is that we saw the main entrance to the house wide open in the morning.”
She could not confirm whether state security officers were still loitering around the house since Tom was picked when quizzed.
The fire disaster at the Capitol Building comes amid the long-running leadership crisis at the House regarding to the removal of Speaker Koffa, and many Liberians believe someone is behind it.
This paper gathered that Tom’s wife, Jane Etheridge, is not home as she could not stand her husband’s current predicament.
“She went to her mother before the New Year, but she is yet to return because of the situation because she is afraid,” another neighbor told this paper.
The female neighbor empathized with Tom in the current situation and wondered when and how he would come out of it.
She told this paper that “Tom is a ulcer patient; a situation he has been battling with over the years.
“He is an ulcer patient and when it gets ready for him, it can be just easy on him,” she emphasized.
Community residents also provided grim picture of circumstances leading to his arrest by state security, saying security officers combed his residence on several occasions in a bit to arrest him.
“First, it was a pickup full of armed police officers that came to his house to arrest him, but they did not get him because he was alerted by a community resident who saw the officers in advance,” this paper was told.
“The second time they came, Tom was outside standing by a yellow cab parked Infront of his house. “We are looking for one Tom, the officers asked him. Tom is not around,” this paper was told about the ordeal leading to his arrest.
On the third day, they said, the entire courtyard and surrounding areas were saturated with armed police officers, NSA agents and other security officers as if they had gone to the battle front.
