Lexington man gets loan from pawn shop to pay for medication

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - With rising costs and inflation, people in Lexington are struggling during this time of the year, and some people are even turning to pawn shops for help.

For some people on a fixed income or those who just don’t have the means, food, gas and medical bills can start to add up.

For Harry Dawes Jr., the past few weeks have been hard.

“I’ve been going through heart troubles and stuff, and I went and had to get my medication and my medical card wouldn’t cover it, and I said, well, fine. I will just go pawn some of my stuff at the pawn shop,” Dawes said.

Dawes says the loan from the pawn shop was his only option. He needed $300 for his medication, so he pawned off a few of his own items to a local pawn shop, hoping he would get them back 60 days later.

“I was going to go over and get my stuff out of pawn or pay on it, and it was gone,” Dawes said.

Dawes said when he went to get his items back, they had already sold them. He says he’s been taken advantage of.

Dawes says he’s not the only one who decided to pawn his items to get money for necessities. However, now, he advises people to look for different options.

“Whatever you do, always watch your tickets,” Dawes said.

WKYT has reached out to local pawn shops in the city, but they have declined to comment.

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