Deputies Surprise Resident With New Bike After Thief Steals Hers

CITRUS PARK, FL — It was a report typical of hundreds that Hillsborough County sheriff's community service aide Brittany Escalona takes over the phone each week at the District III office in Citrus Park.

But there was something about the hopelessness and despair in the woman's voice that tugged at Escalona's heartstrings.

The elderly woman's bike, her sole means of transportation, had been stolen while she was shopping at a local grocery store. She tearfully pleaded with Escalona to help her get her bicycle back.

Escalona dutifully took down the police report and then took to the phone, alerting District III deputies about what had occurred.

Within minutes, Deputies Craig Hoffman and Andrew Howard located the stolen bicycle and returned it to the resident.

But their assistance didn't end there. Noting that the stolen bike was old and in disrepair, District III deputies contacted the local Walmart, which agreed to pay the bulk of the cost of a new bike for the resident, with the deputies pitching in to fund the balance.

The deputies also purchased a new lock and chain for the bike, safety lights and a registration decal for the sheriff's office's Bicycle Registration Program.

Sheriff's Cpl. Daniel Hawkins said the look on the woman's face was priceless when he, Howard and Master Deputy Richard George showed up at her home the next day to deliver the shiny new bike.

The actions earned the deputies the gratitude of the woman's granddaughter.

"HCSO, my family is so thankful for you," Gabrielia Pirozzi said. "My grandmother and our whole family were speechless by this act."