Rapid City woman has wheelchair accessible van stolen Monday night

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Monday night, a woman was taking care of her child without being aware of what was happening to her van.

"The last we seen the van was at 9:30 last night ... And this morning at 7, we noticed that it was not in the parking spot," a Licensed Practical Nurse, Miranda Morris, said.

Morris first realized that her 2015 maroon Chrysler van was missing from her apartment complex parking lot when she was loading her son on a wheelchair accessible bus.

She immediately called 911 and filed a police report.

"I don't know who would steal a wheelchair accessible vehicle from someone," Morris said.

Morris is unsure of how someone was able to break into the car, believing she locked it. But, according to a Rapid City Police official, the van was left unattended and unlocked.

In addition, police say it's likely a second key was left inside the vehicle.

Morris says it's uncommon to have vehicle thefts occur in her neighborhood. She feels the incident is unfortunate as the van is the only mode of transportation for her child who is dependent on special needs services.

"My son is about 65 pounds, and he is very hard to transfer. I need this vehicle in order to get my son to his appointments out-of-state (and) in-state," Morris explained.

In a statement from RCPD, "It's disgusting that thieves would victimize a handicapped member of our community, and our detectives are committed to doing everything possible to locate and recover the vehicle. Anyone with any information about the whereabouts of the vehicle, or those responsible for taking it, should contact police investigations at 605-394-4134."