Thief steals more than wheelchair from New Brighton man

NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. -- It was supposed to be a night at the movies but ended in a crime when a Twin Cities man had his wheelchair stolen.

Chad Olson is a fan of the Golden Gophers and the silver screen. But, he wasn't a fan of what happened Saturday night at a Mounds View movie theater.

"I looked over and I couldn't see because it was pitch-dark," says Olson.

What he couldn't see was someone stealing his wheelchair. Chad has limited mobility and can walk up a few steps to sit in the regular seats. At some point during the film, someone took his only means of transportation.

"Where's my chair, my heart just dropped, and no chair," Olson recounts his reaction from that night.

The chair, his car keys and wallet, all gone. Monday morning someone noticed the wheelchair in a ditch, not far from the theater, on highway 10, and called police.

"There's the potential to review surveillance video, we have yet to be able to obtain that, but if it would lead to a suspect, we would pursue charges for that," says Deputy Chief Tom Kinney of the Mounds View Police.

So, Chad got his nearly three-thousand dollar wheels back, but it did cost him something...his good faith.

"I guess what really bugs me the most that people, your fellow human-beings out there in the world, would do such a thing," says Olson.

He can repair the damage to the chair, but what Chad really wants, is to let the thief know there are consequences to your actions.

"There's no heart, no heart involved."

Police also recovered Chad's wallet, keys and personal belongings.

Check out our KARE family of Web sites:
	takeKARE		Metromix
	Moms Like Me		Minnesota Bound
	Showcase Minnesota