Willie Williams is a disabled Vietnam veteran who lives at Freedom’s Path on the Chillicothe VA Medical Center campus in Southern Ohio. It’s meant to be a residential facility for homeless or at-risk-of-homelessness veterans.

So what would cause them to rudely and callously try to evict one of their tenants via a passive-aggressive note?

There’s still no real answer to that question.

Williams’ plight apparently started when someone saw his emotional support dog, Diamond, off her leash.

“It was an accident when she got in the elevator, ’cause when I’m at my friend’s house, I don’t need her on a leash,” Williams said.

But no harm was done, so why did Williams then receive a hand-written note on his mobility scooter one day that said “Willie, it’s time for you and your dog to go. You will no longer be tolerated. Move out.”

The vet was stunned.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. You know, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do…,” he told WSYX News.

That note was followed up by a letter from the landlord’s law firm on January 14 saying that he had been told to keep Diamond on a leash in the past but failed to do so. That’s when he was given the ultimatum between choosing his home or his dog.

The situation was heartbreaking as Williams said the dog is all he has in this world – and he’s all she has.

But he faced the impossible choice of having to get rid of the dog he relied on or find a new place to live. And there are very few places that can cater to people like Williams.

“If I have a problem, I get sick, I know the rescue squad is right there. Take three minutes to get there.”

The vet suffers from PTSD and accompanying depression, loneliness, and isolation.

“If it weren’t for her, I just would probably go into total isolation,” the former Marine explained.

With no one to help him and nowhere else to turn to help deal with the injustice, Williams reached out to the local news’ “6 On Your Side Investigates.”

They called the facility’s lawyer who said Diamond had engaged in behavior forbidden in the lease agreement.

“We asked what the behavior was exactly. He stated he couldn’t speak off-hand because he didn’t have the letter and file in front of him and couldn’t speak to the facts. He told 6 On Your Side Investigates to call back the following morning.”

The journalists called the next day but simply got sent to voicemail.

After the news aired the story, people in the community were furious at the injustice. At the very least, there should be proof of a breach of the agreement before someone is asked to make such a choice, otherwise, someone who simply doesn’t like their neighbor can say just about anything to get them evicted.

Two Columbus-area lawyers, Sam Marcellino and Steven Katz, stepped up to help Williams wade through the legal issues and protect his rights. They helped negotiate an agreement so both Williams AND Diamond could stay at Freedom’s Path.

The terms of the agreement are that Williams must keep Diamond on a leash while on the facility’s property and use a special kind of leash called a gentle leader.

Williams was hesitant to sign at first because he was concerned about using the leash and felt that all of the residence’s dog owners should be held to the same obligation.

But after a local dog trainer stepped in to teach him how to use the leash, he agreed to sign the paperwork.

John McCormack, the owner of Semper Fi K-9 Training in Columbus, donated his time to Williams.

If not for the attention of the community, Williams could have easily ended up on the street – and no doubt many veterans do.

“This is not a spot and place I want to be in right now in my life. Like I said, at my age, I don’t know how much time I got. All I want to do is live and let live,” Williams said at his low point.

We’re just glad someone stepped up to help him do that.

Be sure to scroll down below to see an interview with Williams and Diamond.

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Source: WSYX ABC 6 via YouTube, KTVO News, @tarawsyx6 via Twitter, WSYX ABC 6