An Esquimalt mother is thanking Victoria police and Marty’s Mountain Cycle after her 10-year-old son’s stolen bike was found and fixed up for free.
Jessie Mollins said she posted on Facebook Oct. 22 that her son Lucas’s bike had been stolen from the front walkway of her family’s home.
Just over a month later, she got a call from Victoria police Sgt. Craig Barker to say that the bike had turned up.
“I was so excited, I called my mom right after and cried,” she said in a subsequent Facebook post. “Pure tears of joy.”
Police did more than just return the bike, said Mollins, whose family also recently went through a furnace fire in their home.
She said Barker and some fellow officers took it upon themselves to take the bike —which had sustained some damage — for repairs at Marty’s Mountain Cycle.
The bike was refurbished free of charge, before being personally delivered by police, Mollins said.
She said Lucas had no idea why the police were pulling up to the house.
“He was so surprised when he realized they had HIS bike,” she said in her post. “We can’t thank these guys enough for what they did.
“Lucas is a very happy guy, it’s a wonderful early Christmas present.”
Mollins credited The Stolen Bicycle Avengers Facebook page with helping to spread the word when Lucas’ bike went missing.
Another recent stolen bike case in Victoria also had a happy ending.
Victoria police said a nine-year-old boy had his bike “forcibly” taken from him as he rode to school in James Bay.
Police officers “went the extra mile to find the bike and recovered it by evening,” Chief Del Manak posted on X, adding: “the family was happy.”
