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St. Paul wheelchair stolen, police asking help
A 24-year-old St. Paul man with ALS had his wheelchair stolen when his SUV was stolen with it inside. St. Paul Police are now asking the community to keep an eye out for both in the hopes of their return.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A St. Paul man has been charged with stealing an SUV that belonged to a man suffering from ALS, and contained his wheelchair and power lift inside it.
Keon Donte Mcdowell, 19, is charged with theft of a motor vehicle for his part in the crime that occurred at 8:24 a.m. on July 10.
The following day, at around 3:46 p.m., St. Paul Police responded to the 1000 block of Winnipeg where the Chevy Tahoe was found.
According to police, all four tires had been removed, and the vehicle was on blocks. The grill, headlights, and side mirrors were also missing, as well as, the electric wheelchair.
As part of their investigation, the vehicle was swabbed for DNA and possible fingerprints. Police then recovered a fingerprint belonging to McDowell, and compared booking photos of McDowell to the surveillance video of the theft, which they believe matched.
Following the incident, FOX 9 reported that Kyle Schultz was one of the youngest people in the entire region with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, when he realized his 2012 Chevy Tahoe was missing from his driveway. Making matters worse, his power wheelchair, ramps, and the vest for his service dog, 7-year-old Deuce, were inside his vehicle when it was stolen.
At the time, his doorbell video captured the moments someone checked out the SUV before getting inside and driving away. Police asked the community for help finding the perpetrator.
Schultz was just 24 when he was diagnosed with ALS, a disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Doctors gave him a life expectancy of one to three years, and he continues to lose more of his mobility.
McDowell has several prior convictions for offenses that include numerous counts of theft of a motor vehicle, terroristic threats, and fleeing police.