Tricycle taken from Dexter teen with autism returned in middle of night

Just over a week after a Dexter High School student with autism discovered his adult tricycle disappeared from the family driveway, it was returned to his Dexter home.

Jake Jones, 16, reported the trike was stolen last week after he left it in the driveway to get a drink. When he returned, the trike was gone, and a neighbor reported seeing two people load it into the back of a white pickup truck.

The trike was dropped off sometime overnight Thursday in front of the family home, said his mother, Kim Jones.

The family received an anonymous call saying the trike had been taken accidentally after being mistaken for trash, and the person apologized for the mistake, Kim Jones said.

"I'd like to say thank you to everyone for their donations and support," Kim Jones said. "It was so overwhelming and we appreciate knowing we're not alone, the community is behind us."

A number of people had reached out expressing interested in donating toward getting a new bike for Jake Jones.

Any donations already received or those received going forward will go toward purchasing bikes for special needs children, she said. She hopes to start a charity called Bikes for Autism because the trike is an important source of independence for Jake, said Kim Jones.

"I wanted to do this because, being a single mom and trying to afford things in this economy, I know there are a lot of things like this that folks can't provide to their families," she said.

Tina Reed covers health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. You can reach her at tinareed@annarbor.com, call her at 734-623-2535 or find her on Twitter @TreedinAA.