New Orleans Evacuees Claim They Were Used by Local Minister

A family of New Orleans evacuees claim they were taken advantage of by a Haughton minister. They claim he allowed them to live in a Bossier City house rent free as long as they fixed up the property. However, the minister, Johnnie Daniels III, says he never required them to do that. But, for Rose Matthews, an arrangement that initially appeared to be a blessing turned into a nightmare. "It just took a toll on me, I lost all my hair, lost weight," Matthews said. After being rescued from New Orleans, Matthews and her daughters spent weeks living in Shreveport shelters. It`s a situation Matthews says she would never wish on anyone. "I said Lord I have to get my daughters out of here," she said. That`s when Matthews says she met Haughton minister Johnnie Daniels. He invited her to move into his family`s Bossier City rental property for a price that seemed fair. "We made an agreement that I would clean up the house instead of paying rent," Matthews says. But, she says this was far from your standard clean up. It was more like an overhaul. "I had to pull up all the floors, I had to wash the walls, replace the paneling," Matthews said. And those were just a few of the repairs she made. She says the total cost was about $2000; almost all of Matthews` FEMA check. After all the repairs, she says the house was still in bad condition. "He said he was trying to help us, but he didn`t do anything but hurt us," Matthews said. Months after moving out, there is one expense that seems to follow her: a massive gas bill that reached nearly $2,000. The alleged cause: a gas leak. "I`m just trying to get this gas bill straight but everyone is passing the buck," she said. Matthews says she`s already paid $900 towards the balance and still has $575 to go before it`s paid off. She claims Daniels agreed to pay half of the entire bill but had not done so. Our Troubleshooter Alexis Wiley contacted Daniels for comment. He says he allowed the Matthews Family to stay in his home free of charge because he wanted to help the New Orleans evacuees. He did pay about $236 towards the bill in February, but, after speaking to KTAL, he has agreed to pay another $250 towards the gas bill. Matthews says that`s all she ever wanted and now her family can move on and put this experience behind them. If you have a problem with a business, government agency or an individual, let the KTAL Troubleshooters help you. You can call our hotline at (318) 629-7113 or email us at troubleshooters@ktalnews.tv .