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Tricycle stolen from special-needs girl in Slidell

'There's a special place in hell for you,' chief says in message to unknown thief

SLIDELL, La. -- A Slidell family is asking for help after someone stole a tricycle belonging to a 12-year-old girl with special needs. Adara Ladet has a condition called Pachygyria which has left her with a handful of physical, mental and speech disabilities.

Her tricycle, complete with a special seat, seat belt and foot straps, was stolen sometime during the weekend from a RV, car and trailer storage area in Slidell near Lindberg Drive.

“It’s basically a big three-wheeler, said Georgina Ledet, Adara’s mother. “It’s a got a seatbelt. It’s got a string around the back so they can’t tip over.”

Adara’s dad, Al Ledet, had locked the bike on their trailer so it was ready to go when they left bright and early the next day for a camping trip.

“The next morning when I went to go finish loading up, they had cut the chain and the straps and all of the security I had in place,” said Al Ledet.

The Amtryke-brand tricycle, which was custom-built specifically to the 12-year-old girl’s body dimensions, was red in color and had a small license plate with the name “Adara” adhered to the back of it. The value of the tricycle is estimated to be over $2,000.

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"I can't stand a thief," said Slidell Police Chief Randy Fandal. "But to the person who stole a special needs child's bike, there's a special place in hell for you."

Fandal said he would give the thief the benefit of the doubt that he or she did not know the bike was for a person with special needs. He said that the person needs to find it in their heart to return it or "I can assure you, we will find you."

If you know anything about the whereabouts the tricycle you are encouraged to call police.

Paul Dudley can be reached at pdudley@wwltv.com.

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