HOPEWELL, Va. -- Sometimes, it the simple things in life that bring the biggest smiles.
For 12-year-old Jon, it's his bicycle.
"He loves his bike, he has autism and the bike helps him relieve a lot of his issues," said Jon's mom, Michelle.
But recently, one early Saturday, Jon's bike was stolen off the front porch.
"And it totally devastated and turned his world upside down," Michelle said.
When the officers arrived to take the larceny report, they quickly realized how much the bike meant to Jon.
"He was very upset, very upset," Hopewell Police Sgt. Donnie Reid said. "This was an item he was attached to."
While the investigation yielded few clues, it did tug at a few heartstrings.
Jon rides away happily
"We as a department, we got together, pulled some funds together and purchased a bike," Reid said. "The look on his face, riding the bike around the parking lot, was what we needed."
More than one dozen officers chipped in, enough to buy the bike for Jon, and a new helmet.
"It was a big stress relief because I really didn't have the money to go get him a new one," Michelle said.
The simple act of kindness has made Jon's life that much better.
