‘I’m going to kill you’: Rockford woman accused vandalizing veterans center, attacking elderly volunteer

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A woman is accused of breaking into a Rockford veterans center over the Fourth of July weekend, leaving pounds of food out to spoil, stealing money, and attacking a 77-year-old volunteer.

LaVerne Moss, a Navy Veteran who prepares lunches at the Veterans’ Drop-In Center, said she suffered two black eyes in the ordeal.

Moss was volunteering at a veterans walk-in center that provides food to former service members in need.

According to court records, Moss went to the facility at 1539 S. 4th Street on Monday morning and was surprised to find Jennifer Gibson, 42, a former volunteer, already inside.

“I pushed the door open, and I could hear the music,” Moss recalled on Tuesday. “I guess the TV was on or something. And as I came in the door, she was sitting there.”

Gibson began yelling at Moss to get out of the house, and then retrieved a kitchen knife and threatened her with it.

“She said no — and you best get the (expletive) out of here if you don’t want to die,” Moss said.

According to the police report, as Moss was leaving, Gibson punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground.

Moss told police that when she was leaving the area, she saw that a door frame was split and glass was broken around it.

It was as she was fleeing the Drop-In Center that she noticed the back door had been broken open. She also discovered that several pounds of meat, which had been kept in a freezer, had been left to spoil on a backyard picnic table.

“She stole several things from us, monetary and food-wise, clothing-wise,” said the Veteran Drop In Center’s deputy director Lana McCants. “And, well, she had a bunch of stuff ready to go, and we literally had to have the police extract her from our building, and we had to wait and come in. With all this going on, we could not provide what we provide for our veterans that day.”

Police said security footage showed Gibson on the scene at the time of the incident.

“I have a veteran come in, and he does one sudoku book a day. He’s 80-something years old,” McCants said. “This is their getaway also. And for them not to feel safe from someone who’s not even a veteran and doesn’t care about their concerns is heartbreaking.”

Gibson is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery to a victim over the age of 60, and criminal property damage.

“We can’t forget about it. Just be more cautious in the future. But we just got to keep going, and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to keep providing for our veterans. We’re going to keep loving the community that loves us, and we’re just going to keep on going,” McCants said.

“We’ve got a lot to replace. Unfortunately. And we got some really good people. So I’ve. I’ve reached out,” Moss added.

The Veterans Drop-In Center is asking for donations, especially food gift cards. Donation information can be found on the nonprofit’s website.