Thief stole more than just a bike

To the person who stole my son’s bike: I want you to know the story behind the bike you stole, by picking the lock, from Highland Middle School the weekend of June 2-3.

The bike belongs to my son, Christopher James or CJ, who is 12 years old. CJ is the youngest of our four boys and is very familiar with the word hand-me-down. But last year CJ did extremely well in school as a fifth-grader. In fact he got all A’s on his report card and was named ‘Cougar of the Year’ at Copeland Elementary. His dad and I wanted to do something special for him. We decided CJ should have a brand new bike to ride to middle school.

It took CJ three weeks to finally decide on his bike. His heart was set on the green and black Trek he saw at at a local bike shop. CJ knew it was more than we wanted to spend but the boy had never asked for anything before. CJ had to live through his dad being unemployed for 18 months and knew money was tight.

CJ didn’t ride his bike to school if there was rain in the forecast and he always locked it up. You probably noticed that it doesn’t have a scratch on it.

You should know that CJ has cried about the bike and is still very sad. He had to learn a life lesson a little earlier than I had liked; that there are some people in the world who are just plain mean.

Now you know a little about my really awesome son and the story behind his green and black Trek 3500, 16-inch mountain bike. If you happen to have a change in heart, you can contact the Libertyville Police Department or just drop the bike off there. No questions asked.

Mary Allen

Libertyville