LEWISTON, Maine — While police in Lewiston investigate the theft of an elderly man’s motorized wheelchair, the octogenarian’s family is appealing to the public to return their father’s sole mode of transportation.
Dana Huard, 80, of Lewiston reported early Sunday morning that his electric wheelchair was stolen from in front of his apartment building on Lowell Street. Lewiston police Sgt. Michael Whalen said Huard reported the motorized chair stolen at 3:45 a.m.
The case remained under investigation Wednesday as authorities continued looking for the chair. The electric wheelchair is a Pride Mobility TSS300 Power Chair that cost Huard several thousand dollars. Family said he purchased it in the past year.
Huard spent the last two nights at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. Family said he was admitted to the hospital after having to walk there for issues with water retention.
“He’s just pretty much doing his best to get around day by day,” said Huard’s daughter, Wendy Deemer, 46. “So taking his scooter is like taking his legs out from under him.”
Deemer, who lives in Sabattus, said her father depended solely on the electric wheelchair for transportation after losing his license due to degenerating eyesight and issues with dementia. She said only she and her brother, Joseph Huard, 43, of Auburn, live locally. Four other siblings live out of state, so helping care for their elderly father often falls on she and her brother, who doesn’t own a car.
Joseph Huard said another brother was visiting from Massachusetts on Saturday night and was with his father at the time of the theft. Dana Huard said from his hospital bed Tuesday that he awoke sometime after 2 a.m. and decided to go outside for some fresh air and discovered the theft.
“They stole it right from under my bedroom window,” Huard said. “And with all the people around there. I don’t know. I can’t get nowhere now. I’m sitting here with nothing but a broken walker.”
I think that stealing the man’s scooter (wheel chair) is the meanest thing I’ve ever heard of. Shame on the person/people that did this.
We’ve had a rash of chairs stolen in Boston over the last 18 months. It’s amazing how the day after the theft is reported the number of cash and chair donations show up on their steps! It makes us appreciate that there are more good people out there than there are cretins. I hope the same thing happens for him.
Anyone that would steal any type of wheelchair, knowing that someone depends on it to get around, is absolutely despicable! I hope they find the low life that stole it and give him the maximum punishment allowable by law.
How bout Throwing in a free beating to sweeten the pot?
Yeah I’m sure that would really help!
Make me feel better and this POS deserves it.!!!!!
mebbe break thier legs too
Well then maybe they’d know how important a wheelchair can be.
What has happened to humanity , this is a sad statement on the 2 legged animals that roam our neighborhoods calling themselves humans !
I will never understand why certain “humans” do things like this, it just boggles my mind.
I really hope he gets his scooter back so he can get some of his independence back too.
Despicable.
What a shame.
Disgrace.
Those chairs are expensive.
And so are drugs.
Have the cops been down to Ohio St/pawn shops ?
Well I’m sure they have been at some point, but since this happened in Lewiston, I’m not sure if that would really help.
What an aweful thing to do!!! Whoever stole this needs to be prosocuted to fullest. My heart goes out to the gentleman and pray for the return of his “Cadillac”.
really don’t have to much to say about this except,this is the biggest bully and ignorant people i have ever met!
His chair was too heavy for him to lift inside, he should have put a padlock on it or chained it to something. It’s a damn shame things can’t be left outside anymore and not be stolen. These thieves are really rotten to steal from this man. Having to walk to the hospital? Despicable thief or thieves.
Geez you miss one payment to that Bumper-2-Bumper place and they repo your ride……
Really though, how sad someone stole a fricking handicap scooter.
I have been disabled all my life and using a wheelchair allowed me to work and live a normal life. It used to be that I could leave my wheelchair anywhere and no one ever touched it. But now I have to lock it up or hide it well because there are so many idiots and nothing is sacared. Imagine the criminal that stole it might end up in the same condition of this elderly man someday and they will have to worry about their dear old friends stealing from them also. Justice is a a pipe dream as a lot of these types would probably steal their own mother or father’s chair for just another buzz on. It is sad that disabled and elderly are the easiest victims when it comes to crime and I believe in Karma and it will come back and bite them back. If any one is able to start a way to make donations to this poor man he will see that there still many more people who are good than those who are bad. It is just unfortunate that you read more news about crime because we are a society that has many more good than bad but the news only rarely has a positive story because the minority of bad is one the rise. If anyone knows who did this maybe you could take him behind the barn and break both of his legs so he or she can feel the frustration of not able to get around. Might be a lesson that hits more to the point as the thieves have a mental defect that is hard to see but physically challenged persons are viewed as it can not be hidden. Whoever stole this mans wheels I hope you feel good about this are your friends all laugh because you a real low lives on the food chain and just wasting space and oxygen and someday will get your do. My advice to you if you get arrested don’t drop the soap in the shower. :)
If he gets it back he should motor himself to somewhere other than Lewiston.
is there any chance it was insured? I hate to think it is a permanent loss. I hope whoever did it needs a wheelchair someday & is unable to get one.
Lewiston…the way life in Mass should be
People steal crutches here in #Chambana, so a wheelchair isn’t that surprising
Yep, that’s humanity in a nutshell. Sounds about right.