South Lake Tahoe community rallies around special needs local after red tricycle stolen

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - This time of year normally signals an increase in bicycle thefts throughout the South Shore, and 2021 is no different. The increase usually comes as more bikes are left in public and outside their homes, both secured and unsecured.

"This increase in visibility creates a crime of opportunity," said South Lake Tahoe Police Lt. Travis Cabral.

On Sunday night, a three-wheeled bike for a local resident with special needs was stolen from her home where it was locked and covered. This is the second reported case of a stolen three-wheeled bicycle in just over a week in South Lake Tahoe. These bikes normally belong to the elderly, physically handicapped, or those with special needs and are their connection to the community.

South Lake Tahoe Police Officer Cory Wilson responded to the report of the young lady's stolen bike. The devastated bike's owner, Laneeta Welch, hadn't even been able to ride the bike yet as it was a gift from the Heavenly Valley Ski Patrol for Special Olympics participants. She was looking forward to pedaling to Farmer's Market with the nice big basket on the bike.

"She really loved her trike as it was easy to ride and no balancing required," said sister Misty Reed. "She had a basket on the back for her to carry things if she goes to the farmers market. She never got to take it anywhere."

After Wilson took the report he called Lt. Cabral to see if they could help. Cabral had just donated several bikes of his own to the department along with their newly purchased bike to be used to revamp their bike unit. They chose one of the bikes to give to Laneeta for her to use.

South Lake Tahoe is a special community and many people jumped to Laneeta's aid. Some offered to donate money for a new trike and then Sue Anderson, owner of Anderson's Bike Rental on Emerald Bay Road, contacted the family and is buying a replacement bike for Laneeta.

Suggestions for the public from Lt. Cabral:

- Lock up bikes with a heavy-duty lock that is not easily cut. We are seeing bikes being stolen that were locked with cheap locks, that can easily be cut off with bolt cutters.

- Do does not leave bikes in front of your house or in poorly lit areas.

- Make sure to lock the bike through the frame of the bike. We see a lot of people locking their front wheel only, which can be easily taken off when stealing the rest of the bike.

- Many people have their bikes stolen off of their bike racks. Use a high-quality bike rack and lock the bikes to the rack. Also, lock the rack to the vehicle so the entire rack cannot be stolen.

- Write down your serial numbers, take pictures of your bike(s), and note any special characteristics of the bike. In the event a bike gets stolen, the police will have a higher likelihood of finding it with this information.