Veteran whose scooter was stolen in Soquel hopes thief returns it
By Felix Cortez
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SOQUEL, California (KSBW) — A Soquel man and U.S. Navy veteran who served five years in Vietnam hopes the person who stole his electric scooter will return it.
That scooter belongs to John Fraser, a disabled veteran.
“It’s a nice scooter. I could understand how a kid could want it. I’m not mad about it, but he’s got a bad habit. He’s going out at night, all night, going around stealing stuff, and he’s going to get caught,” Fraser said.
The scooter was stolen from Fraser’s home on the 4300 block of Soquel Avenue near Robertson Drive; the scooter is one of the few ways the Navy veteran gets around town.
“That one is for stores, it’s very small, and it goes really nicely in stores, and I can put it in the trunk of my car,” Fraser said.
People on social media were quick to call out the thief who had the nerve to steal from a disabled veteran, one post calling it gross, and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said it was disgusting.
“It’s not OK; it shouldn’t be tolerated, and our detectives are working as hard as they can to try to find not only the scooter but find the person responsible,” said Ashley Keehn, spokeswoman for the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s office.
Sheriff’s investigators are working on several leads and tips that have already come in since they posted the investigation on social media and they’re asking residents who live near Soquel Avenue and Robertson Drive to check their surveillance videos.
“To look at that footage, see if there’s anything there that could potentially lead us, in the direction of finding that suspect,” Keehn said.
Frazer says he just wants his scooter back, described as a “Buzz around carry-on” scooter with the brand name “Golden.”
“Hey, why not give it back and just let’s forget it? The VA (veterans affairs) will get me another one, you know, it’s not a hardship for me as much as it could be for someone who bought it,” said Fraser.
The scooter suspect is described as wearing a light-colored hoodie sweatshirt, dark-colored pants, skate shoes, and carrying a light-colored backpack.
If you have any information call the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.
As for Vietnam veteran John Frazer, he’s now in the process of getting a replacement with help from the local office of Veterans Affairs.
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