Unique Handlebars Help UP Police Crack the Case of Missing Mountain Bike

Last week, a local business owner who reported that his custom bike was stolen outside his business had a happy reunion after he spotted it on a nearby apartment porch, according to University Place Police.

The victim told police that he closed up his Bridgeport Way W. business for the day on June 3, 2013, when he realized he forgot to set the sprinkler system. He told police he returned on his bicycle at approximately 6 p.m. and placed the bike outside the employee entrance.

He was only gone a few minutes, but returned to find his bike was stolen.

The bike was a specialized brand, with an oversized frame and full suspension on both tires, valued at $2,700. He told police that this made the bike unique enough to be identified by sight.

Later that night, he went on a walk with his wife and spotted the bike on the second floor balcony of a nearby apartment building. He called police, who went to investigate.

An officer arrived at the University Commons Apartment complex just after 10 p.m. and spotted the bike still sitting on the porch. The resident told police that a female friend who hangs out there a lot brought the bike over and she didn’t even realize it was there.

The tenant’s friend then told police that the bike belonged to a man who had come over to the apartment have sex with her and he left the bicycle. She told police that he lives in Lakewood and she didn’t have his phone number and hadn’t seen him in 6 months, but he just showed up. The officer told her that it was hard to believe that a person she had not seen in 6 months would magically show up at her friend’s house, without having a phone number. 

There were several other individuals in the apartment and more were continuing to show up. They all deferred to the woman’s story that the man dropped it off.

Eventually, the woman admitted to police that she saw the bike propped against the building and took it because she does not have a car and needs a bike to get to work, because Pierce Transit is unreliable. She took the bike but realized it was too big for her and put it on the porch. She intended to bring it back later that night, she told police. No one else in the apartment knew about the theft and she said she initially lied about it because she got scared when she was told the theft was a felony, based on the value of the bicycle.

The woman was arrested for second degree theft and possession of stolen property. The bike was returned to its proper owner, who confirmed there was no damage.