Autistic Girl's Bike Stolen, Found Miles Away

Police in Matthews recovered the special bike that belonged to a young autistic girl Wednesday night.

Judy Shanahan told police the bike belonged to her daughter, Katie. The custom-made bike was stolen from the back porch of their home in South Charlotte overnight.

Judy Shanahan said she was afraid they would never see it again.

"It's just as precious to us. I mean because we couldn't afford this bike on our own," said Shanahan.

The bike is worth more than $6,000. It was found in the grass at the back of the parking lot of a Sam's Club in Matthews off Independence Boulevard Wednesday Night.

Only Eyewitness News was at the Sam's Club as police officers recovered the bike.

Shanahan said the bike had to be custom made for Katie, who's autistic, and also suffers from hypertonia, a condition which affects her coordination so profoundly she can't learn to ride a regular bike.

The bike has special pulleys that teach Katie the motion of how to ride because she can't learn on her own. It also has handlebars in the back so an adult can control it in case of emergency.

Shanahan said after months of navigating red tape, they finally got the bike last fall.

"It took us two whole years of petitioning and requesting. We were denied and had to appeal it to get the bike and get it custom built for her,” said Shanahan.

Shanahan plans to pick the bike up from police Thursday.