Dana Colburn spent the better part of this week in the hospital. First came a slip on some icy stairs, then a nasty bout of pneumonia he suspects is a result of sleeping in his pick-up truck as the nights get colder.
But he pulled himself from his hospital bed Thursday morning and, still wearing the intake bracelet and several bandages, drove himself to court.
Colburn has spent weeks in limbo following his eviction from his Antrim apartment earlier this fall. He was unable to retrieve precious belongings within the allotted time and has waited to find out whether his request for more time would come through.
“I just wanted some extra time to get my belongings, that’s all,” he told a Hillsborough County District Court judge. “I just want to get my things and get on with my life. I don’t want to be a problem for anyone.”
The judge granted Colburn’s request, giving him until Dec. 1 to move everything out. After that, his landlords at the affordable housing complex Antrim Village will be within their rights to dispose of his belongings.
A lawyer representing Antrim Village said the complex would temporarily waive the no-trespass order that has prevented Colburn from returning to get his things. A spokesperson for The Caleb Group, which manages the property, said someone from the company would reach out to coordinate with Colburn.
After his hearing, Colburn planned to put a few bucks-worth of gas in his tank and empty the truck into his storage unit to make room for moving boxes — he won’t get another disability check until at least the first of the month, so he has no money for a U-Haul, he said. Then, he’ll wait for the call.
Immediately following his eviction, Colburn stayed with a friend of his aunt’s in Deering, but now, he is sleeping in his truck. He hopes the few pieces of clothing he got from the hospital’s lost-and-found, which are warmer than what he had, will help him face the cold.
“All I got is the truck for now,” he said, “so I just gotta make sure I can keep gas in it and stay warm.”
As Colburn left the courthouse, a woman who sat in the gallery listening to his case, walked past.
Colburn didn’t know her.
“I’ll be praying for you,” she said.