A Columbus man known to panhandle downtown died Friday of hypothermia.
Hozzie Hawthorne, 72, was found unresponsive in his apartment at 1515 13th Ave. N. Friday around 1 p.m. after a neighbor called 911 on his behalf.
Responders found Hawthorne in bed with minimal covering in the apartment, which did not have electricity or running water.
Hawthorne was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, where he was pronounced dead a short time later by Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant. The official cause of death was hypothermia due to exposure.
Merchant estimated the temperature in Hawthorne”s apartment wasn”t much warmer than the temperature outside, which was 39 degrees at the time Hawthorne was discovered. The low temperature the previous night was 17 degrees.
Hawthorne was a familiar character downtown, where he often asked passers-by for money. He frequently sat on the bench in front of the post office but would walk the downtown blocks with the help of a cane.
He was arrested Nov. 24, 2009, and charged with vagrancy while on probation for shoplifting charges.
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