Offers race in to replace Modesto man's stolen bike

The disabled man whose bike was stolen Saturday will ride again, authorities said Monday.

An outpouring of support ensured that the man would be back on the road, hopefully by this weekend, Modesto police said.

Officials received at least 20 calls, and The Bee received several others, from people wanting to replace the man's red Schwinn bicycle, which was stolen by two teenage boys Saturday afternoon.

The 43-year-old man, who is physically and developmentally disabled, spent hours walking the three miles to his home after police said the teens pushed the man off his bike near McHenry Avenue and Coralwood Road in north Modesto. No one has been arrested.

One man who e-mailed The Bee said he would donate $500 to replace the man's bicycle.

Police received similar calls and had collected enough money by Monday afternoon that they were pricing bikes, baskets and helmets, said Tami Dodge, an administrative assistant at the Modesto Police Department.

She and several others in law enforcement have worked to set up a nonprofit, HELP of Stanislaus County, that will give crime victims more immediate relief in situations such as Saturday's.

When donations came in to help replace the man's bike, the money was deposited in HELP's account at Valley First Credit Union, Dodge said.

She got the idea to come up with a way to collect donations for crime victims in April when 22-month-old Josue Becerra was shot as he played in front of his west Modesto home.

The Stanislaus County district attorney's office had moved the child's relatives into a new apartment to protect them from further violence. When the family moved, it needed to furnish the new apartment, and many Police Department staff members donated sheets, bedding, towels, dishes, toys and more.

"It was a table full of stuff," Dodge said. "We looked at it and we thought, 'Wouldn't it be great if we were already prepared for this rather than having to wait for something to come up to collect donations?' "

Modesto police Sgt. Craig Gundlach said police also banded together to help pay for meals for a Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department employee who discovered she was pregnant and, at the same time, learned she had cancer.

HELP was born from such efforts, Dodge said. Its board members, from the Police Department, the Sheriff's Department and the district attorney's office, are working to establish the agency's nonprofit status. Donations are welcome.

Police have received enough money to pay for the disabled man's stolen bike, but Dodge said the public can make donations to help future crime victims. HELP is looking for venues for two upcoming fund-raisers, including a garage sale and a barbecue dinner, she said.

"We're not trying to outdo other organizations that are already out there," said Gundlach, one of HELP's board members. "This just came out of a desire to help people, other than just trying to find the bad guys. You really develop a desire to see people made whole in other ways."

Donations can be made to HELP of Stanislaus County at Valley First Credit Union. HELP can be reached online at www.freewebs.com/helpofstanco or at 572-9640.

Police ask anyone who may have seen the bike, victim or teens to call the Modesto Police Department at 572-9500 or Crime Stoppers at 521-4636.

Bee staff writer Emilie Raguso can be reached at eraguso@modbee.com or 578-2235.