A local Good Samaritan was robbed at knifepoint Sunday evening by the very man he has been helping.
Kenneth Pendleton, 46, of Madison, was arrested on charges of armed robbery and unlawful trespass following the robbery of a 22-year-old Madison man on the 500 block of State Street, according to an incident report from the Madison Police Department.
Beginning sometime last month, the victim had been giving the suspect money and bus fare occasionally, MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain said.
The suspect then began to frequent the victim’s apartment in order to request more and more money.
Following a refusal to give any more money, the suspect once again visited the victim’s apartment, this time armed with a knife and threatening to “cut him” if he did not turn over money.
The victim then took the suspect to a nearby ATM and withdrew money, which he gave to the suspect before alerting MPD.
The suspect was located shortly afterward by MPD officers on State Street and arrested for his alleged actions.
“It certainly appears he was trying to do a good deed and it came back to haunt him,” DeSpain said of the victim.
DeSpain added there are a variety of organizations available for Madison residents to contribute to the less fortunate, including Porchlight and the Salvation Army.
Money given directly to those on the streets, he said, may not always end up going toward the intended purpose of helping the individual.
“It’s long been assumed that people who are asking for money are oftentimes the victims of addiction issues,” Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said. “Many times, when you end up helping these folks, they only end up feeding their addictions.”
Verveer, who represents the area in which the crime took place, said he views this as a remote, albeit extreme, instance of crime.
He added, however, this was not the first time he had heard of such a situation.
“I feel badly for the victim. He’s a good guy; he was trying to do the right thing,” Verveer said. “But the suspect was desperate it seems, as they went to this length.”
