Search called off; bike was stolen

TOWN OF HARRISON - An abandoned bicycle that caused a search for a possible missing boy was stolen from a 71-year-old woman who rode it to Bible study, police said.

The Calumet County Sheriff's Department searched the area around a pond in the Town of Harrison Tuesday after a neighbor reported seeing a boy ride a bicycle to the area and walk down to the pond. An hour later, the neighbors said, the bicycle was still there, but the boy had disappeared. Officers went door-to-door, searching for the boy, and divers were even called in from Fond du Lac County to search the pond. The search was called off Tuesday night after no one was found.

Meanwhile, the daughter of the bicycle's owner called her mother after seeing the bicycle on FOX 11 News at Nine. 71-year-old Joyce Schmoeker of Kaukauna said she rode the bicycle to her church, and when she came out, it was missing.

"I like to ride it back and forth to church, also to the therapy pool, to the credit union, the grocery store, wherever" Schmoeker said of her bike.  Schmoeker said it's not worth much but she's had the Huffy for 10 years after buying it a garage sale for just $10.

"To have it back feels great ... just the way I left it," Schmoeker said.  "At least they parked it and didn't dump it somewhere."

Schmoeker said she prayed for the bike's return.  She called authorities Wednesday morning after her daughter told her about seeing it on FOX 11 News at Nine.  Schmoeker said she got to pick the bike back up, less than 24 hours after it was stolen.

Authorities said they're no longer looking for a missing child -- just a young bike thief.

"He might have needed a ride or he just wanted to pull a prank on somebody but whatever it is the prank turned out to be a very serious situation," James Hermann said.  Hermann made the initial call to police about a possible missing boy.

Schmoeker said she's not mad at the boy -- just happy to have her faithful set of wheels back at home.

The Calumet County Sheriff's Department and Kaukauna Police Department are now working to try to find whoever took the bicycle.