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ABILENE, Texas, 8:02 a.m. CDT April 29, 2003 - From jail, Chris Leija, 22, says he wants everyone to remember him for the good he did and not the bad in his past.
At 3 a.m. Sunday morning, an Abilene apartment building erupted in flames.
"I just thought, 'Let me see if I can do anything to help,'" Leija said.
He ran straight into the fire and returned with a child. Emergency crews couldn't stop him.
"I turned back and I heard the police officers and firefighters telling me, 'Don't go back, come back.' But I had to get two more kids that I left in there."
And he did. The story was broadcast nationwide, but among those watching was a sheriff's deputy who knew Leija was a wanted man. He was on four-years probation for a burglary last year and he failed to meet his parole officer last month.
"I learned my mistakes for what I did and that ain't me," Leija said. "I just want the community to look at me as a good person for what I did." The sheriff's lieutenant responsible for his arrest says Leija is still a hero, but he needs to be more responsible in his personal life.
At 3 a.m. Sunday morning, an Abilene apartment building erupted in flames.
"I just thought, 'Let me see if I can do anything to help,'" Leija said.
He ran straight into the fire and returned with a child. Emergency crews couldn't stop him.
"I turned back and I heard the police officers and firefighters telling me, 'Don't go back, come back.' But I had to get two more kids that I left in there."
And he did. The story was broadcast nationwide, but among those watching was a sheriff's deputy who knew Leija was a wanted man. He was on four-years probation for a burglary last year and he failed to meet his parole officer last month.
"I learned my mistakes for what I did and that ain't me," Leija said. "I just want the community to look at me as a good person for what I did." The sheriff's lieutenant responsible for his arrest says Leija is still a hero, but he needs to be more responsible in his personal life.
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