Max
12-26-2002, 04:55 PM
Wheelchair stolen from vehicle of 68-year-old
By PERCY EDNALINO
e-mail: pednalino@bakersfield.com
Tuesday December 24, 2002, 09:00:58 PM
Californian staff writer
Someone (or someones) have made Sandi Herbst's "naughty" list this year.
A wheelchair used by Herbst's mother, 68-year-old Bakersfield resident Jean Fleming, was stolen from the trunk of her Ford Thunderbird sometime between the evening of Dec. 18 and morning of Dec. 19.
"I can't even talk about it without crying," Fleming said between sobs. "But you know what? If they needed it more than I did, then they're welcome to it, even though it creates a big hardship for me."
The wheelchair was a large, heavy-duty model and Fleming said it was stored in the trunk of her car, which was parked outside her home on Kern Canyon Road, because it won't fit through some of the mobile home's doorways.
Fleming said its loss has made it difficult for her to get around town because she suffers from arthritis in her back, heart problems and other health problems. She relies upon the help of her son, David, and other family members to get around town.
"Now I have to stay home, unless I can call somebody to pick me up," Jean Fleming said. "That gets old. Even when I get to where I want to be, I can't do anything because I don't have my chair."
Fleming said she discovered the chair was missing when she had decided to catch a bus and go Christmas shopping at Valley Plaza with her son, a truck driver who was home at the time.
When they opened the Thunderbird's trunk, they saw the chair was missing.
"I'm angry. It breaks my heart, for one thing, that somebody would have their wheelchair stolen," said Herbst, during a telephone interview from her home in Marina. "But then to think that somebody would stoop so low and steal something like that? You know that whoever it's stolen from is going to need it. You don't have a wheelchair in your trunk for fun."
Fleming said the wheelchair was only 8 months old and replaced a worn-out one she had used for many years. Fleming's insurance company purchased the chair.
"She doesn't know if her insurance is going to be able to cover (another new chair) or not," Herbst said. "It really stinks. The only thing I can think of is that it was stolen because it was new. Maybe they were thinking they could take it to a pawn shop and get some money for it.
"Ooh, I would just love to get a hold of the person who took it and give them a piece of my mind. It's very aggravating."
Fleming said she reported the incident to the Kern County Sheriff's Department, but it isn't the first time items have been stolen from her yard. She said some fishing equipment owned by her son also was stolen during the summer.
"I'm not the only one who loses stuff around here," she said. "But it's very personal when it happens to me. I've lost ladders, plants."
Still, Fleming said she's trying to stay upbeat and doesn't bear ill will toward those who took her chair.
"But I do wish they'd bring it back," she said. "It really doesn't do any good to talk about it. Sometimes it does some good to vent your frustrations, but this is Christmas and I want it to be happy.
"I'll just look on the brighter side."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Lightspeed Systems
http://www.bakersfield.com/local/story/2370775p-2424494c.html
By PERCY EDNALINO
e-mail: pednalino@bakersfield.com
Tuesday December 24, 2002, 09:00:58 PM
Californian staff writer
Someone (or someones) have made Sandi Herbst's "naughty" list this year.
A wheelchair used by Herbst's mother, 68-year-old Bakersfield resident Jean Fleming, was stolen from the trunk of her Ford Thunderbird sometime between the evening of Dec. 18 and morning of Dec. 19.
"I can't even talk about it without crying," Fleming said between sobs. "But you know what? If they needed it more than I did, then they're welcome to it, even though it creates a big hardship for me."
The wheelchair was a large, heavy-duty model and Fleming said it was stored in the trunk of her car, which was parked outside her home on Kern Canyon Road, because it won't fit through some of the mobile home's doorways.
Fleming said its loss has made it difficult for her to get around town because she suffers from arthritis in her back, heart problems and other health problems. She relies upon the help of her son, David, and other family members to get around town.
"Now I have to stay home, unless I can call somebody to pick me up," Jean Fleming said. "That gets old. Even when I get to where I want to be, I can't do anything because I don't have my chair."
Fleming said she discovered the chair was missing when she had decided to catch a bus and go Christmas shopping at Valley Plaza with her son, a truck driver who was home at the time.
When they opened the Thunderbird's trunk, they saw the chair was missing.
"I'm angry. It breaks my heart, for one thing, that somebody would have their wheelchair stolen," said Herbst, during a telephone interview from her home in Marina. "But then to think that somebody would stoop so low and steal something like that? You know that whoever it's stolen from is going to need it. You don't have a wheelchair in your trunk for fun."
Fleming said the wheelchair was only 8 months old and replaced a worn-out one she had used for many years. Fleming's insurance company purchased the chair.
"She doesn't know if her insurance is going to be able to cover (another new chair) or not," Herbst said. "It really stinks. The only thing I can think of is that it was stolen because it was new. Maybe they were thinking they could take it to a pawn shop and get some money for it.
"Ooh, I would just love to get a hold of the person who took it and give them a piece of my mind. It's very aggravating."
Fleming said she reported the incident to the Kern County Sheriff's Department, but it isn't the first time items have been stolen from her yard. She said some fishing equipment owned by her son also was stolen during the summer.
"I'm not the only one who loses stuff around here," she said. "But it's very personal when it happens to me. I've lost ladders, plants."
Still, Fleming said she's trying to stay upbeat and doesn't bear ill will toward those who took her chair.
"But I do wish they'd bring it back," she said. "It really doesn't do any good to talk about it. Sometimes it does some good to vent your frustrations, but this is Christmas and I want it to be happy.
"I'll just look on the brighter side."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 2002, The Bakersfield Californian | Email the Webmaster
Privacy Policy Statement | Terms of Use
Lightspeed Systems
http://www.bakersfield.com/local/story/2370775p-2424494c.html