Lawrence County deputies recover 9-year-old's stolen bike

(From the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office)

On 06/08/2022, Monett/Lawrence County 911 received a surprising call. A young man (9 years old) went outside that morning to ride his bike. Much to his dismay, his bike was not there. It appeared as though someone had stolen it overnight. So what does a young man do when a crime has been committed ? He calls 911.

The call came in to 911 Telecommunications Officer Sarah Mareth who treated this call like any other emergency. The young man was obviously upset that his bike had been stolen but T.O. Mareth's calm, professional voice and actions assured the young caller that an officer was on the way and things would be alright. She walked him through the process and got all the necessary information from him, taking his every word as serious as you would expect.

Shortly thereafter, Deputy Devost who is assigned to the Miller area arrived on scene to take the report. After a diligent search, the bicycle was located. Unfortunately it had sustained some damage while it was gone.

So, the story should end there right ? Bike recovered, call complete, but it doesn't. Deputy Devost went above and beyond on this call and he decided to make a difference. He took it upon himself to find a brand new bike for our young caller. He was able to locate a brand new exact replacement at the Mt. Vernon Walmart.

When he went to Walmart to purchase the bike, two of their managers stepped up and their kindness went beyond their job descriptions. Deputy Devost left Walmart with a bike and lock paid in full.
Sheriff DeLay, Deputy Devost and several other Deputies then had the privilege of delivering this brand new bike and lock to the unsuspecting young man. He was surprised to say the least. At this point you might be thinking what a great ending ! Not quite, not yet.

After receiving this new gift, the young man decided to pay it forward by donating his old bike to be repaired and given to another child in need.

I know this is a long story, but it needed to be shared. There is still good in this world even when there seems to be so much bad. A final shout out to Deputy Devost and T.O. Mareth for doing an amazing job, the managers at Walmart for their generosity and all the Deputies involved in this incident. We live in a great place !