6-Year-Old's Custom Wheelchair Stolen From Driveway In Brandon

BRANDON, FL – Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office detectives are asking the public’s help in locating a child’s custom wheelchair valued at $10,000.

Monday morning, April 16, at 7:20 a.m., Andrew Dennis of 3806 Pinedale St., Brandon, placed his 6-year-old son’s wheelchair on the driveway to alert the bus driver that his son was going to school that day.

Dennis has been placing the wheelchair in the driveway to signal the bus driver for the past two years. Once the bus arrives, the little boy is carried out of the house, placed in his wheelchair and board’s the bus.

"This is my son's primary way of moving around the community," Dennis said. "My son is also an epileptic and the wheelchair is the only way to transport him when he has a seizure."

This morning, Dennis placed the wheelchair next to his mailbox as usual about five minutes before the bus arrived, He also hung his son’s book bag containing his lunch box and glasses on the wheelchair. At about 7:30 a.m. when the bus arrived, Dennis discovered that the wheelchair was gone.

"All I'm asking is that they (the wheelchair and book bag) are returned to us, no questions asked," said Dennis. "I'll even throw a reward in if it's found."

The wheelchair is a customized TiLite child's wheelchair with blue aluminum pieces and a custom headrest.

Anyone with any information about the whereabouts of the wheelchair is asked to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at (813) 247-8200 or send an anonymous tip from a smart phone using the HCSOSheriff app available on both Android and Apple products.

Images via Andrew Dennis