GREENCASTLE, Pa. — Whitney Donahue's name may sound familiar. In 2002, the refrigerator mechanic from Greencastle, Franklin County spotted the D.C. sniper's car and reported it to police. His actions lead to an arrest and a $150,000 reward.
"He did a really great thing. We were so proud of him," said Tressa Wheeler, Donahue's daughter.
Wheeler remembers those life-changing days fondly.
The memories stick with her as the anniversary of her father's death approaches. Donahue passed away last June.
The day after he died, the family went to Greencastle Bronze and Granite to find a tombstone.
Richard (Rick) Freeman Jr. put them at ease.
"He was asking us about dad, and we told him about him being the sniper catcher," Wheeler said. "He was just like, 'Oh, that's amazing.' He goes, 'It's quite an honor to do his tombstone, a hometown hero.'"
The family gave Freeman $3,200, to design a memorial bench for Donahue's grave.
"He's like, 'I'm going to cut the cost," she recalled. "'You won't have to pay for any of the engravings.' He's like, 'I just really want to help you out with this.'"
The family said it was too good to be true.
After months of waiting and excuses, Wheeler realized Freeman wasn't going to get the job done.
Dozens of families claim Freeman did the same to them.
Freeman's Tuesday hearing was moved after he was arrested and charged with more counts of theft. He now faces 22 new felony counts and 13 new misdemeanor counts in addition to the six felonies and two misdemeanors from the first filing.
In total, Freeman is accused of stealing more than $120,000.
"He's a terrible, terrible person and I hope that he has to pay for everything," Wheeler said.
Freeman was unable to post his $100,000 bail, a figure that went up by $75,000 after the new counts.
His new hearing is set for Tuesday, May 16 at the Franklin County Courthouse. Until then, he's behind bars at the Franklin County Prison.