Times staff
Saturday, October 1, 2011
PINELLAS PARK — It was a crime that stunned a community: A $2,200 therapy tricycle built to help a 14-year-old girl with cerebral palsy one day walk on her own was stolen from her porch.
Christine Garner's family received several offers to replace the bright green trike but politely turned them down. They hoped the thief would reconsider after reading in the St. Petersburg Times that a doctor recommended the trike after Christine had both hips replaced. They searched pawnshops and scrap metal dealerships with no luck.
About noon Saturday, Pinellas Park Police discovered the bike at the Wagon Wheel Flea Market. Police arrested Donald Wayne Terrell, 57, of 3120 Downing St. in Clearwater. Terrell said he paid a homeless person $40 for the trike. He faces charges of dealing in stolen property.
"My prayers were answered," said Christine's mother, Tricia Garner.