Mother of 6-year-old wheelchair theft victim in Warren speaks out

The mother of a six-year-old child in Warren who had his wheelchair stolen from him is speaking out.

A call log from Trumbull County Dispatch shows a call came from a home on the 200 Block of Laird Avenue NE in Warren just before 1 p.m. Thursday.

According to the call log, the caller's six-year-old son Jaymeson's wheelchair was stolen from him on the porch of the home. 

21 News caught up with the Jaymeson's mother Kristin Starkey who told us her kids were outside playing and pushing Jaymeson around in the wheelchair and put it at the bottom of the steps by the porch.

After two days off of school, Starkey went to drop Jaymeson off on the school bus Thursday morning and discovered the wheelchair had gone missing.

"So I went back and looked at the camera footage and you could see [the wheelchair] there at 6:30 and at 6:42 it was gone," Starkey said. 

Starkey went on to describe how essential the wheelchair is for Jaymeson's everyday life saying he has Cerebral Palsy and cannot walk. Therefore, he cannot go to school, play outside with his siblings or even leave the house at all without it.

Starkey said she appreciates all the people who have reached out offering to find Jaymeson a new wheelchair, but says a wheelchair like this is not easily replaceable.

"This wheelchair was right around $12,000. It was custom-made. It's got headrests, it's got lateral supports, it's got pommel support so he can't slide out from the bottom, it's got foot rests, [it's got] memory foam because he sits on his butt all the time. ... It's not one that I can just go on Amazon and buy," Starkey said.

Starkey tells 21 News medical supply store Miller's Rental and Sales, who custom-built the stolen wheelchair is offering to help the family. However, the process will take some time.

"When insurance covers it, it takes about four months after their approval for Larry to get it at Millers, for him to build it and then to get it to us takes about four months," Starkey said.

In the meantime, Starkey says an individual from Champion had reached out offering up a wheelchair that Jaymeson could potentially use.

"There is a gentleman in Champion who has a disabled child that just recently got a [new] wheelchair for his child. So I'm going to venture out there today to see if that one will work for him in the meantime, and that would be a huge blessing if it does," Starkey said. 

No description was given for any potential suspects and it is unknown how the suspect(s) could have gained access to the wheelchair.

A GoFundMe page has been created to raise money to pay for a new wheelchair for Jaymeson. You can donate by clicking here.