Stolen motorcycle recovered, victim says now difficult to trust anyone

A motorcycle stolen earlier this week in Steinbach has been recovered. However, the mother of the bike's owner says the damage from this crime cuts much deeper than the destruction to the motorcycle.

The mother, who has asked for her name not to be published, lives off Main Street and says she first noticed the missing motorcycle on Wednesday morning. She was storing the bike, which belongs to her son, in her fenced-in backyard. 

She noticed the bike was missing and texted her 29-year-old son to see if he had picked it up overnight. He responded by saying he had not, and she says she then immediately knew it had been stolen. 

"It was very disappointing," she says. "I was sad for my son because he loves his motorcycle."

On Thursday afternoon, RCMP put out a bulletin, notifying the public of the crime. Later that evening, an individual spotted the motorcycle near South East Helping Hands. According to police, the individual had seen the post on Steinbachonline.com earlier in the day and made the connection. 

The mother says her son was notified Thursday evening sometime between 8:30 and 9:00. And though the bike has been recovered, it was damaged. She says the thief removed the side mirror and hand brakes, cut the ignition wire and scratched the tank. But, she says that is not the worst of it.

"I've said to my son, we don't really care much about the motorcycle, it can be replaced," she says. "But I think the people around us, who can we trust now?"

The mother says typically she trusts everyone and treats them like friends or family. But now, she admits it is even difficult to sleep at night, waking up to any noise she hears. 

She says they have video footage that shows the male suspect walking into their backyard and then walking out with the motorcycle. She notes all she wants is for this thief to know what his act has done to her psychologically. 

Anyone who may have spotted the individual or seen something suspicious Tuesday night near 547 Main Street is asked to contact Steinbach RCMP.