Family staying at East Bay hotel has RV stolen from parking lot
PLEASANTON -- A Bay Area military family on their way to a new post across the country had their recreational vehicle stolen from the parking lot of the DoubleTree hotel in Pleasanton where they were spending the night.
"Feel like someone just took part of you. The good thing is we are all together and happy and healthy but it stinks" said Kevin Lai.
Kevin and Shanna Lai serve in the U.S. Coast Guard and had been stationed in the Bay Area for four years. They are scheduled to begin their next assignment in Florida on Friday, the same day their son finished preschool. The family had packed valuable items in the RV that they did not want the movers to handle.
"I don't care about the big stuff they took but they got my kids ultrasound pictures. They have some home videos from when I was a little kid. My dad passed away so it's stuff I have of him living, breathing, talking … all those videos are gone" Lai said.
Shanna also mentioned the loss of their children's baby clothes, remarking, "You don't get that back again."
Their kids are particularly upset about losing "Arby," the affectionate name they had given the vehicle.
"Our son didn't say RV for a while so we found it fitting to name it Arby," Lai explained.
To a child, it all seems so confusing and wrong.
"Who would steal it?" the couple's five-year-old son asked.
Kevin was stationed at USCG Air Station San Francisco, where he served as a flight mechanic and operated the hoist used for swimmer rescues. Shanna worked at the Coast Guard base in Alameda as a health service technician.
Despite the setback, they are still planning to leave the Bay Area Friday -- in a minivan -- and they remain positive about their Northern California experience overall.
"It holds a special place in our hearts here in the bay. We are optimistic people so we will create happy memories regardless."