Arrest does not diminish selection of family, community's compassion

As soon as Eric Hebert was selected for a home and all the hoopla surrounding "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," there were people who had mixed emotions.

Most were very proud of how Eric moved from Montana to raise his niece and nephew after his sister died. Most people also thought it was pretty cool this popular show was coming to Sandpoint. Others just wanted to help.

Still others wondered about how many local people would benefit from the money poured into this one home for this one family. Some were jealous. A few were opportunists.

When the Bee learned that Eric was picked up on suspicion of drunken driving the week before Ty Pennington and crew knocked on his front door, we weren't convinced there was a story.

The Bee doesn't make it a habit to run stories on citizens who are picked up for drunken driving. The paper does run the names of everyone who is picked up on DUI charges in the news of record, however. We did that with Eric.

We will run stories on public officials or community leaders who are arrested for DUI. It's this paper's belief that if you are elected to office or are in a position of influence, your actions need to be held to a higher level of scrutiny.

Eric didn't meet those standards when he was arrested.

The Bee received a few phone calls Tuesday from two television stations and several locals who said KHQ-TV had picked up Eric's file and planned on doing a story about his charges.

KHQ is owned by the same company that owns the Spokesman-Review. The Review, as you recall, did a hatchet job on the entire Home Makeover experience here. The "extreme neglect" headlined story about the Heberts' half-brother topped the Review's coverage. In addition, the paper ignored the unveiling of the home when the Heberts saw their new home for the first time.

The paper's excuse? The photographer couldn't make it to Sandpoint that day because he said he had lost his press pass.

Suffice to say, we know what kind of story KHQ or the Review had in mind. So we re-checked the records and discovered more information.

Eric is set to stand trial next Thursday. He is charged with DUI, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and possessing an open container of alcohol while driving and failing to register his vehicle in Idaho.

"I hate to use the cliche, but I am only human," he told a Bee reporter. "When that happened, I figured I blew the whole thing. I figured I'd lost what could have been a wonderful thing. I never felt lower in my life."

We feel comfortable that our story in Wednesday's Bee was justified. ABC-TV felt Eric's alleged activities shouldn't exclude him from the show.

It's our hope that those who spent hours volunteering goods and services don't feel slighted by his apparent lack of judgment, just as those who were suspicious or jealous about the whole Home Makeover experience will suppress their "I told you so" instincts.

Eric Hebert signed on to help his niece and nephew in a time of need. He wasn't selected because he was some sort of role model. This incident proves he is human and not just a fictional TV figure.

We are going to take him at his word that this arrest is a life-changing experience. He knows more than the rest of us what he has at stake.

This town and area came together for the Heberts. It looks like this time is right for Eric to get it together as well.

Good luck, Eric. This community is behind you … again.

David Keyes is publisher of the Bee.