So now besides a bunch of bicyclists we have armchair lawyers - and not even asking for a retainer! :crash: Called to the (local h*nky-tonk) bar? If so, where and when? :notamused:

I don't think bike theft is a priority with the police. How do you prove it's yours? $100 is cheap. Leave the police out of it. I could just imagine the police taking the bike, tossing it in the trunk of the squad car, front wheel hanging out. Holding it for 30-60-90 days, filling out paperwork, etc. Forget it.

Having the kid with you should eliminate and kind of confrontation with a stranger. You did the right thing. It's not about the money as much as it is about
getting the bike back. $100 would convince any kid that no matter what, the money was more important. Well done.

There's no telling where the kid got the bike, surely he didn't confess to stealing it and possibly wherever he said he got it may be the truth.
When I was about nine yrs old a friend gave me a cool bike that he said he "found". I rode it for a week. When my brother learned of it, he found out where my friend "found" it and made him return it.

Good ending to the story.

It's really hard to know what to do, and you have to have your wits about you. I paid more than that in a similar situation. I was tempted to call the police, but I didn't.