But Eason is back in a nursing home after a short and rocky stint in a place that he and officials described as having unlivable conditions.
Eason said he wishes inspectors would condemn the apartment complex, which belongs to a landlord who owns more than 250 housing units in the Dayton area.
Other apartments in the complex have cracked ceilings, some with exposed insulation, and other residents have complained of bug infestations and mold.
“Nobody should have to live like that,” Eason said. “I feel sorry for the people who are still there.”
The property owner, Ronald Waker, said that he fixes any problems with the housing units he owns whenever tenants complain, and he called Eason a manipulator.
“He never called me with any issues to address … If a tenant is unhappy, they should call me with an issue to get it addressed,” Waker said. “I have 250 units, and I’d say 98 percent of my tenants are happy.”
On March 28, Dayton Fire Department medics were dispatched to 2275 Hepburn Ave. related to a diabetic medication issue.
Crews spoke with Eason, who was placed in the apartment complex about a week earlier with the assistance of a social worker after moving from a nursing home in Riverside.
Medics discovered that Eason’s apartment contained no bed, pots, pans, wash cloths, towels or wheelchair, according to a Dayton emergency medical services run report.
Eason had bread and eggs and a couple of cans of food inside the apartment, but no can opener.
The apartment lacked a smoke detector, and Eason had run out of medication, except for insulin. He had been unable to bathe for a week.
“The patient was in tears, the patient has had no help and was sent to live in a dirty apartment with no way to take care of himself,” said Dayton fire Chief Jeff Payne, during a recent presentation recognizing the medics and firefighters who responded.
Medics and firefighters brought Eason leftovers, food, a can opener, towels and wash cloths.
They contacted a police specialist who brought out a crisis care worker, who called Eason’s social worker, doctor and landlord to find out why he was left alone with no assistance, the report states.
They helped Eason get his medication refilled and arranged for the landlord, Ronald Waker, to install a fire detector.
The case worker “did not have time to get James’ things from his storage,” according to the EMS report.
Eason is again living in a nursing home after a short stay in the hospital, owing to ulcers on his legs and other medical issues.
Eason, formerly an auto mechanic, was seriously injured in 2013 after a 7,500-pound vehicle fell on him and he was trapped for 15 minutes.
Eason said he moved into the Hepburn Avenue apartment to try to live independently, but was unable to bring it up to a livable condition on his own.
Eason said his landlord promised his place would be clean, newly painted and ready for occupation.
“I can’t see well, so I couldn’t see that lots of the stuff was wrong,” he said. “Nobody should have to live in those conditions.”
The bathroom sink was not hooked up, and the apartment was riddled with roaches, Eason said.
A couple other residents at the complex told this newspaper they have encountered mold, roaches and bed bugs in their units. The ceiling inside some units is cracked.
Waker, the landlord, said Eason was bad news and manipulated people, using his disability as a way to get sympathy.
He said Eason tried to avoid paying his rent and never contacted him about any issues with his apartment.
“I guarantee the next tenant will be happy in that apartment,” he said. “I spend hundreds of thousands of dollars at Lowe’s every year, because I’m smart enough to know that a happy tenant is a good-paying tenant.”
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