Manteca Floral Shop Owner Pleads For Return Of Stolen Van
MANTECA (CBS13) — A Manteca business owner is pleading for a thief to return her stolen delivery van, as it's not only impacting her, but the people who rely on her for their happiest and saddest days.
Joann Morin desperately wants her flower delivery van back as it's her only large vehicle. She discovered it missing just hours before a funeral.
The owner of Manteca Floral Company had to scrambled to find a way to bring her floral arrangements to a family burying a relative on Monday. Her 2005 Ford van had disappeared from her parking lot somewhere between Saturday afternoon and Monday morning.
This week alone, she has four funerals and a wedding to provide arrangements for. That will be difficult without the large van with a bouquet on the driver and passenger doors and the words "Manteca Floral Company" in very large green and yellow letters.
"I really didn't think someone would be so bold, again, steal a vehicle that says Manteca Floral eight-foot long," She said.
For 35 years the shop's van had never been stolen, until last October when a burglar broke in, grabbed the keys from inside the shop and took off with the van. It was found a week later with the logo peeled off.
She didn't think it would happen again.
"Then I came in this morning and it was just gone," she said.
But it did. And now Joann is hoping the thief is not only watching, but understands the impact on her small business and the customers who rely on her flowers.
"We've been very, very blessed by this community, so to have that happen, I just feel like ti's a few bad apples," she said.
She isn't sure if she'll ever see the van again, but she says if she does, she'll add an alarm to it as well as beef up security in her shop.
The missing van's license plate is 6MSE238, and she does have insurance for the van. If you see the van, call police and Joann Morin at (209) 823-6213.
