1 Modesto Special-Ed Student Bike Returned, 2 Donated After Theft
MODESTO (CBS13) - One of the 11 specialized bikes stolen from special-education students at a Modesto elementary school Monday has been returned.
When teacher Darlene Pierson arrived on campus Wednesday, she was a bit shocked and surprised to find the bike.
"Tears are just flying, because I can't believe that that bike is back," said Pierson.
A custodian made the discovery Tuesday night, finding one of the stolen bikes just sitting in the parking lot of Sherwood Elementary.
"I think that's great that somebody probably had a guilty conscience, or felt badly that they had taken it," said parent Emily Lawrance.
Eleven specialized bikes worth $8,500 were taken Monday morning after the custodian noticed a lock near Pierson's classroom had been cut.
"You told me that's yours. It showed up last night. I was like stunned, because it's one of the most expensive bikes that we had taken. That was the $2,500 one," said Pierson.
When the news broke, the community stepped up to help. World Of Wheels, a bike shop in Modesto, donated two bikes to the school.
"It's a neighborhood school. It's a great community school. It's a great program for the kids. So that's nice to know that local business are helping out, but would have been better if it hadn't happened," said Lawrance.
Despite the bike showing up on campus, it still isn't good enough for parent Linda Darneille.
"They got to do more," she said. "I think that that's fantastic that there is somebody out there that has some sort of feeling about what they did."
For the second day in a row, the school's phones have been ringing off the hook with the community willing to show their support.
Sherwood Elementary officials say the contractor who remodeled the school is willing to pay the remainder of the cost for the bikes that were stolen.
School staff has been so busy with calls about the bikes that they haven't had a chance to contact Modesto police about the one that was returned.
