BY SHANNON KELLY
The News & Advance
The call reporting a stolen vehicle came in to the Amherst County Sheriffâs Office on Jan. 8 â and whoever took the truck also stole birthday presents for a girl turning 2 the next day.
Deputy S. W. Martin, a seven-year employee with the Amherst County Sheriffâs Office, jumped on the case.
Whitney Edwards, an Amherst resident and mom of three, had just bought a scooter and ball pit for her daughter Alyza Tyreeâs second birthday.
After leaving the store with the gifts, Edwards realized she forgot to buy wrapping paper, so she stopped at another store on the way home. Parking along the side of the building in a crowded parking lot, Edwards left her keys in the truck for a few minutes to make her purchase. When she came back outside with her daughter and the wrapping paper, her vehicle was gone.