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Hampton woman says city-owned housing was crawling with bed bugs

Posted at 11:53 PM, Jan 03, 2013
and last updated 2013-01-04 06:26:15-05

Hampton, Va. - Cynthia Aleshire lives on the eighth floor of Lincoln Towers. It's run by the Hampton Housing Authority.

Yesterday, she found the critters in the crevices of her bed. While she slept, she was breakfast for the nocturnal bugs.

There aren't just bites on her elbow, her feet are covered in them as well.

"When I'm sleeping, these bugs are eating on my skin, it creeped me out," Aleshire said. "I didn't like it at all."

Aleshire and her daughter alerted Hampton Housing Authority, and they feel like they got the run around. Her daughter Paulina Dearing emailed NewsChannel 3.

"She said, "Contact NewsChannel 3 because they help people in the community, you know, when no one else will," Dearing said.

NewsChannel 3 spoke with the Executive Director of the housing authority on the phone.

She said she wasn't aware of the bed bugs in Aleshire's apartment and that there isn't a widespread problem in Lincoln Towers.

An exterminator is supposed to come by Aleshire's apartment tomorrow.
For now, she's staying with her granddaughter.

She doesn't want to return to Lincoln Towers, in fear of the bed bugs coming back. Her only income is 700 dollars a month in disability, so she doesn't have many options.

"They're not going to help replace my furniture. They're not going to care if I go to sleep on the floor, even my curtain, I'm going to have to throw everything away," Aleshire said.