frantik

https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/...medium=twitter

GIT A ROPE


here's a gallery of the stolen bikes: https://s1257.photobucket.com/albums/...nvestigations/

MrEss

This thief confuses me. Lots of those bikes are pretty cheap. I thought the purpose of stealing stuff was to exchange that stuff for quick cash. Maybe they couldn't bear to go to estate sales to start their hoarding problem... ?

mikemowbz

While every one of those likely represents a world of disappointment and anger for the former owners (hopefully some of that will get a chance to dissipate as owners and bikes are reunited now that the guy's been caught), that's ultimately small potatoes. At least next to the case of Igor Kenk, Canada's (and possibly the world's) most prolific procurer of stolen bicycles:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Kenk

realestvin7

Piece of poo.

Who's claiming the Cunningham?

auchencrow

What made those cops think they were stolen? Sounds like a pretty modest collection to me.

Callaway

I have to admit that I still peruse CL for my stolen Nishiki every now and again. It was my first road bike and was fabulous. So, this helps me keep that glimmer of hope (although I have a nagging feeling that a stumbling drunk rode it for a few hundred feet, ditched it in the bushes and it has since been spray painted and converted to a fixie...). And the article from the other day about the guy who saw his car that was stolen in the '70s! (linky)

gaucho777 

Two things jump out at me:

"Morales-Sanchez's arrest capped an investigation that saw undercover officers infiltrate the city's stolen bicycle operations. They purchased bikes off of Craigslist and made contact with those selling stolen bikes or those who actually did the crime, Mahoney said. From those interactions, police were able to secure search warrants, one of which led them to the Silver Terrance home that Morales-Sanchez shared with his father."

1. Cops went the extra mile to catch a bike thief?

"Deputy Public Defender Roberto Evangelista, who is representing Morales-Sanchez, said his client's family was in the business of refurbishing bicycles and reselling them, but had no idea they were stolen. "

2. Why isn't the father implicated? Apparently, they have a family business fixing and selling bikes, and the stolen bikes are at the father's property, and only the son is arrested? And the father had no idea? Way to take the fall, kid.

frantik

yeah the whole undercover operation to catch bike thieves is very surprising.. and it wasn't exactly clear how the family was involved

oldskoolwrench

Theft by opportunity; whatever was easy pickins at the time.

Cut the little f*^%$r's hands off, and charge Dad with Receipt of Stolen Property.

dddd

These bikes are mostly later-model bikes with original components and no signs of hap-hazard storage.

In other words, these don't really look like garage-sale, thrift-store or "refurbished" bikes to me.

So, will the accused be able to identify at least a good % of the sellers he "bought" them from?

Get a rope, indeed.

So, were these bikes being exported in large parcels, or was this the guy's rolling inventory level?
Very strange, if you ask me.

Mos6502

Stuff like this is going to set a precedent for mandatory bicycle licensing...

wahoonc

Doesn't do much good. Years ago our city "strongly recommended" that you register your bike. I have several stolen that were registered, never recovered. I checked the other day and the data base from then no longer exists. FWIW I recovered two of my own bikes from a different theft and the police department had the wrong serial numbers on file, so even if they had recovered them I would have never known.

Aaron

miamijim

Mandating lights for riding at night when down in flames in Tampa....I doubt licensing would make it here.

KZBrian

With so many missing front wheels, we can see something about bike owner locking methods.

sauze

A little relevant , my girlfriend got a call from the local police yesterday saying that they had recovered her stolen bike (hard tail steel Kona of some sort) ... from 8 years ago! Apparently someone tried to sell it in a pawn shop and the serial # matched a claim made when it was stolen. At least one reason to always record serial #'s and make police claims.

KonAaron Snake 

I think the fact that they were stolen from garages, meaning burglary/break ins, is why police would have been more involved. The other possibility is that a ranking police officer lost one...nothing gets results faster than if the crime happens to the police.

rumrunn6

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleptomania

OldsCOOL

Make him clean all the chains first.

zandoval 

So True...

DiegoFrogs

A lot of mountain bikes there, too, which is weird.

If they were in the business of reselling bicycles, I wonder if that'll be borne out by their tax records?

Either way, as I move to San Jose this weekend it's a good reminder to be hyper vigilant about this kind of stuff.

Phil_gretz

+1 on cutting off a hand. The one reason I would support Sharia Law.

dbakl

That's what I'm afraid of if they searched my place, and I've NEVER stolen nothin!

wahoonc

Doesn't Florida traffic law call out lights for riding at night? NC does, not too well enforced from what I have seen.

Aaron