Walker stolen from 7-year-old with disability. This is how Florida community reacted

Thievery is a grim reality for many Americans, but one sticky-fingered criminal touched a nerve by preying on a Florida first-grader with disabilities.

The victim is a 7-year-old named Marcos and the theft involved his walker, taken “right out of his yard” in Bartow, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Bartow is 45 miles east of Tampa.

“Marcos goes to first grade at Wahneta Elementary, and needs his walker to get around,” the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook.

News of the theft ignited outrage on social media over the weekend, with the department’s March 26 post getting about 4,500 reactions and nearly 400 comments as of early Monday morning.

Most of them offered a blistering assessment of the thief as “cruel,” “horrible” and “ruthless.”

“How could anyone be so evil so ... hateful so heartless,” Paula Fedele wrote.

“Whoever did this can not do enough jail time,” Frank L. Shirley posted.

“What kind of bottom feeder steals a walker, especially a child’s?” Karen LaFlam Baumgardner said.

The sheriff’s office noted there was also a bit of good news to share, despite the thief not being caught. Donations enabled the sheriff’s office to buy Marcos a new posterior walker, an apparatus that has a starting price in the $260 range.

“Marcos said he’s thrilled he can move around, but not so thrilled that spring break is over and he has to go back to school. LOL,” the sheriff’s office wrote.

News of the purchase also prompted a strong response on social media, and it was equally emotional.

“Takes a new type of a low life person to do something like that to that sweet little boy,” Billy Allred Sr. wrote. “When something like that happens just brings out the good in people.”

This story was originally published March 28, 2022 at 6:28 AM with the headline "Walker stolen from 7-year-old with disability. This is how Florida community reacted."