interesting read from the Seattle times:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004194944_bicyclethief22m.html


glad they caught him.

What a bizarre story...just bizarre.

East Hill

boy... I'm glad that's not the podiatrist/triathlete that I know.

That said, I seem to recall leaving a driver's license behind when I've road-tested bikes. Maybe I just need to tell people I'm an oncologist and they'll let me try them out without leaving ID behind. Not anymore, I guess.

- test rode one of those 'Crayola' Orbeas at a LBS... salesperson set it up and gave me the bike...

- i asked, "Do you want to hold my wallet?"

- "Nah," was the reply...

- interesting in that 'round these parts, there are mucho grifters and con artists (including a nefarious cult based in Clearwater)...

Always interesting when reasonably well-to-do people (allegedly) try to commit reasonably minor crimes. I know that these are expensive bikes, but it's a lot of risk to take for even a few thousand dollars. And walking right into a shop where you are easy to I.D., and walking out w/a bike, and then hanging out with other serious riders (who's to say a shop owner wouldn't be at the same event?). Not smart.

Is it a thrill thing?

Amazing that the dude was busted from DNA evidence.

This was front page above the fold in the actual paper.

I note also that since his arrest, he has been in a local psych ward for twice making suicide gestures. I wonder if he has actual psychpathology, or if he is trying to manufacture a paper trail of mental illness to use in his defense of the theft cases.

He is smart enough to easily steal high end bikes, he is smart enough to be a medical doctor, he has the medical knowledge on how to commit suicide,
yet he is not smart enough to complete a successful suicide,
I DON'T THINK SO.

Sadly, he took his life today.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004198553_bos24m.html

Sadly, he took his life today.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004198553_bos24m.html

A shame. I guess we will be left wondering why he felt the compulsion to steal the bikes.

East Hill

Wow, I just read that in the Times. What a shame.

I'm confused as to why it's a shame that he offed himself.

He made a hobby out of stealing bikes (and identities, based on a previous conviction), and when he got nicked he decided to do himself in rather than face prison time for grand theft. Overcrowded prison system, and a low-likelihood of rehabilitation for his compulsive behaviour without psych treatment (which he probably wouldn't have received if he ended up in the clink)... sounds to me like he solved a problem.

What I'm more concerned with is the procedural issues with the psych facility he was in. If he was a patient there, and under obervation (suicide watch), then where the hell did he get a belt from? The stability observation wing is supposed to be run like the holding tank at jail: No belts, no shoelaces.

Here's why I think it's sad:

1. Remember, he was just charged. Not convicted.

2. Even if he was guilty of the allegations printed in the paper, death is a pretty stiff penalty for bike thefts. My guess (as a complete amateur) is that there would have had to be a lot of psychological issues to drive a well employed person to a series of (reasonably) petty crimes...I would like to think we live in a world where those problems could be addressed in a less drastic way.

3. Remember too that the victims of suicide extend well beyond the person who dies. He had a family. He had friends. There are members of the NW biking community who knew him. Imagine what the bike shop owners who provided evidence in the case are thinking this morning.

I think it's sad all the way around; I wish that, despite whatever problems he had, there could have been a way for him to obtain help and hope.

I'm confused as to why it's a shame that he offed himself.

He made a hobby out of stealing bikes (and identities, based on a previous conviction), and when he got nicked he decided to do himself in rather than face prison time for grand theft. Overcrowded prison system, and a low-likelihood of rehabilitation for his compulsive behaviour without psych treatment (which he probably wouldn't have received if he ended up in the clink)... sounds to me like he solved a problem.

What I'm more concerned with is the procedural issues with the psych facility he was in. If he was a patient there, and under obervation (suicide watch), then where the hell did he get a belt from? The stability observation wing is supposed to be run like the holding tank at jail: No belts, no shoelaces.Pretty cold response. Maybe a bit less talk radio, a wee bit more human compassion. His problems must have run pretty deep if it came to this, I find it very sad too.

Here's why I think it's sad:

1. Remember, he was just charged. Not convicted.

2. Even if he was guilty of the allegations printed in the paper, death is a pretty stiff penalty for bike thefts. My guess (as a complete amateur) is that there would have had to be a lot of psychological issues to drive a well employed person to a series of (reasonably) petty crimes...I would like to think we live in a world where those problems could be addressed in a less drastic way.

3. Remember too that the victims of suicide extend well beyond the person who dies. He had a family. He had friends. There are members of the NW biking community who knew him. Imagine what the bike shop owners who provided evidence in the case are thinking this morning.

I think it's sad all the way around; I wish that, despite whatever problems he had, there could have been a way for him to obtain help and hope.

Thanks. I was looking for the words, but, couldn't find them.

I worked on a psych ward for a while, and the level of care varies from being put into five-point restraints in a seclusion room up to wandering the grounds of the facility in your street clothes. It all depends on the staff's assessment of your risk profile. If the patient seems competent and denies suicidal ideation and means to your face, and is low risk, you put them in the least restrictive treatment milieu. Unfortunately, some patients are still bound and determined and are lying to you when they deny ideation. Any behavioral health therapist can tell you stores about being surprised and shocked by a patient's suicide.

I see also in the local paper that Ric Weiland, one of the original Microsoft employees has left $ 65 million to various charities. He committed suicide after suffering from depression for years. And if anyone could have afforded the finest psychiatric care and meds available, it would have been him.

A very unfortunate circumstance, and we will likely never know the reasons why.

A very unfortunate circumstance, and we will likely never know the reasons why.

suicide = severe mental illness = break with reality
by definition logic will not apply

Trying to make sense of a situation based on "not making sense" will never happen

Given his behavior, I wonder if he had untreated bipolar disorder. I guess we'll never know. Very sad. :(