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Bike thief devastates Kamloops family

Thief devastates Kamloops family by stealing special-needs trike.
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— Kamloops this Week

Chris Murray was working in his downtown yard on Sunday, April 9, when daughter Alana asked where she should park her scarlet tricycle.

The space where she usually locked it up was cluttered, so he told Alana to leave it out back in the driveway next to mom’s car until later, when it would be moved after everything was cleaned up. A busy Sunday in the yard led to suppertime, however, and the trike was forgotten — left unlocked in the family’s backyard. The bike went missing at about 6 a.m. on Monday, April 10.

“There was a witness who saw somebody pushing it down Battle Street not far from our house,” Murray said, noting it was likely someone eyed it from the alley and walked into the backyard, which isn’t fenced off.

Whoever stole the trike also made off with two artificial plants formerly adorning either side of the garage. They were seen in the bike’s basket as it was being wheeled away. Those plants were inexpensive and replaceable, but it’s the principle behind Alana’s missing ride that irks Chris.

Alana, 42, has special needs. The adult tricycle was her primary mode of transportation because the three wheels compensated for her lack of balance and got her to activities like cooking class, which will hopefully eventually enable her to take care of her own meals.

Murray said the theft has devastated Alana.

“It’s just one of those things,” he said. “There’s always somebody out there looking for some mistake to take advantage of somebody.”

The family is spreading the word and filed a police report with the hopes of recovering the tricycle. But a week later, the situation has thrown off Alana’s routines. When KTW spoke with Murray on Monday, he was about to pick up a shiny blue replacement from Canadian Tire. The new trike costs $500, which Alana’s parents are paying, but Murray said Alana couldn’t have covered the new wheels with her disability pension, which makes him feel for those without family supports.

“It would have been a financial burden,” he said. “She wouldn’t have been able to come up with $500 to buy a new one.”

The Murrays are asking anyone who spots the bike around town to call 250-320-0476. In the meantime, there’s more work to be done in the yard.

“The next thing will be a fence,” Chris said.