Hermit 'River Dave' is given $180,000 to help rebuild his life by billionaire CEO of Palanatir after he was arrested for squatting on private land for 30 years and his shack mysteriously burned down
- Alexander Karp, CEO of Palantir Technologies, gave a $180,000 check to Vermont hermit David Lidstone last week
- Lidstone's cabin was burned down on August 4 after a representative of the property owner began damaging his home
- He was arrested on July 15 after he was accused of squatting on Leonard Giles's property for nearly three decades
- The former squatter claims he will not be returning to the isolated lifestyle
A billionaire software company CEO has given a former hermit a personal check $180,000 after the cabin where he'd been squatting for nearly 30 years burnt down in Canterbury, New Hampshire on August 4.
Alexander Karp, the 53-year-old head of Palanatir Technologies, gave David Lidstone, 81, a personal check last week, Lidstone's friend Jodie Gedeon wrote on Facebook.
A spokesperson for the data analytics software company confirmed the donation to the Concord Monitor.
'How can I express myself and my gratitude towards something like that? I start to tear up whenever I think about it,' Lidstone told the Monitor.
'For an old logger who always had to work, for anyone to give you that type of money, it´s incredibly difficult for me to get my head around.'
David Lidstone, known to locals as 'River Dave', received a $180,000 check from a billionaire software CEO after the cabin where he'd been squatting for nearly three decades burned down
Alexander Karp (pictured), CEO of Palantir Technologies, gave Lidstone a check for $180,000
There has been an outpouring of support for Lidstone since he was jailed on July 15 and accused of squatting for nearly 30 years on the Merrimack River property owned by Leonard Giles.
Giles, 86, wanted Lidstone off the property even though a prior owner in the family told the squatter that he could live there, but nothing was found in writing.
The same family owned the undeveloped property since 1963.
Lidstone was released on the condition that he would agree to leave the cabin following a five-year property dispute that started in 2016.
His cabin burned down on August 4 shortly before his release but he recently secured temporary housing through the winter.
Canterbury Fire Chief Michael Gamache said the fire was likely caused by an accident as a representative of Giles was working to disable the cabin on the day of the fire, which was noticed at around 3.15pm.
Lidstone was released from custody on the condition that he would leave the cabin following a five-year dispute
Lidstone's cabin burned on August 4 after a representative of Giles began damaging Lidstone's home, allegedly causing an accidental fire in the process
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Gamache claimed that four solar panels were disabled that had electrical charge in them and a power saw was also used to cut into metal supports that held up the panels on the roof, which both could have caused things to spark and smoke.
The location is being kept secret to protect Lidstone's privacy, according to Gedeon.
Supporters will have a chance to meet Lidstone at a 'thank you' event in Warner, New Hampshire on August 21.
Lidstone said he doesn't think he can go back to the solitary lifestyle of being a hermit.
'I don't see how I can go back to being a hermit because society is not going to allow it,' David Lidstone said in an interview with The Associated Press on August 10.
Lindstone also stated that he has grown apart from his family.
In a previous interview he said: 'Maybe the things I've been trying to avoid are the things that I really need in life. I grew up never being hugged or kissed, or any close contact.
'I had somebody ask me once, about my wife: `Did you really love her?´ And the question kind of shocked me for a second. I... I´ve never loved anybody in my life. And I shocked myself because I hadn´t realized that. And that´s why I was a hermit. Now I can see love being expressed that I never had before.'
Lidstone states he does not want to go back to the solitary lifestyle as he believes 'society won't allow it'
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