“I was actually a little upset,” Shreves said. “I had just been trying to fix my bike, get new handlebars, fix the chain and stuff.”
Police were contacted, but fortunately Shreves' mother, Corey Messer, had video of the theft. In an effort to find the culprits, she posted the video to the Everything Kettering Facebook group. The video has garnered 40 responses and 34 comments.
The popularity of this post may have been the reason Brad Hosler saw it: He and his wife run Drytech Exteriors in Kettering, and as a father of five, he couldn't let a summer go by without giving his kids bikes.
“I was just pissed that someone would be so bold as to do something in broad daylight,” Hostler said. “Not that it makes any difference, but to go into someone's backyard and steal their kid's bike?”
Hostler commented on the post that if Shreves' bike wasn't returned, he would be happy to buy her a new one. When the bike wasn't found, Hostler and Messer kept in touch and made plans to buy a new one. They were supposed to meet at Dick's to pick out a bike, but Messer was working and unavailable, which was probably a good thing. Hostler ended up going alone to pick out the bike.
“So I went to Dick's. I got there and there were six bikes and there was no way he wanted any of these bikes. There was a 'Moana' bike. I said, is that the only bike you have?” Hostler said.
The Dick's salesperson said they had a bike in the back, but it needed to be assembled. Hostler didn't want to bother Shreves, and decided Dick's wasn't the best place to get what Shreves wanted, so he left the store and called K&G Bike Centre in Kettering on his way out.
“I asked if they had BMX bikes and they said, 'Yeah, we have DK Dayton,' and I said, 'No way,'” she said. “They were closing in 10 minutes so I was so glad they opened for me,” Hostler said.
At the Bike Center, Hosler looked around the store, even though he knew nothing about bikes. He knew Shreves liked the color black, and there happened to be just one black DK Dayton in stock. When it came time to buy the bike, K&G Bike Center thanked Hosler for his good deed and offered to sell it to him at cost price. They also did a thorough inspection of the bike.
“They worked with me and we were able to make it happen together. I was so excited. Much more excited than I would have been if I had gotten Dick's bike. I can tell you this is an act of God,” Hostler said.
The next day, Messer and Shreves met with Hosler at his office where he picked up his new bike. Messer took a photo and posted it again to the Everything Kettering Facebook group. The post received over 675 responses and 44 comments.
“I posted this because it's such a special story,” Messer said. “I'm a Christian. I believe God orchestrated this, down to the last detail. It's weird that I didn't know if I was the only black person there.”
Shreves was surprised and grateful for his new bike, and said he now keeps it locked in his garage to prevent theft. While at the K&G Bike Center, Hostler asked about a bike lock and was provided one free of charge.
“When this happened I knew I had to share this because I want people to know that there are still good people in the world. This is the best story ever. It's so good. It doesn't happen every day,” Messer said.
Although Shreves still hasn't found his old bike, he says he's no longer worried. The old one was getting “rickety,” but the new one works just fine. He still can't believe someone went out of their way to help buy his child a new bike.
