Police Bulletin Police Bulletin (March 19, 2004)

Bike-switch snitch

Several bicycle thefts occurred in the same area March 11, with some bikes stolen and others left behind to be found by the victims. In one theft, occurring in the 4100 block of Alba Court, the victim told police he had opened his garage door about 3:30 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., someone rang his doorbell, police said. The victim said he saw a juvenile male wearing a blue jersey at the door, although he did not answer it. Within minutes, the victim heard a noise in the garage, police said. The victim went outside to investigate and noticed a bicycle in the street; he went to his garage and discovered his $2,200 bicycle missing. Police said a neighbor reported that a young male with a clipboard knocked on her door about 6:30 p.m., but she did not answer the door.

In a similar crime, occurring in the 5300 block of Piazza Court between 4:50-5:30 p.m. on the same day, the victim discovered his $559 bicycle was missing from the back of his garage. Like the other theft, the victim found a bike that did not belong to him or anyone in the neighborhood. Police said a young neighborhood child reported seeing three junior high-age teens, two boys and one girl, leaving the block riding bicycles about 5 p.m. Police said three bikes were stolen from the area, while three were recovered. None of recovered bikes had been reported stolen. Rash of smashed windows

Four vehicle break-ins occurred overnight March 8 on Concord Place and the cars were burglarized, police reported. In one theft, the victim told police he parked and locked his 2002 Toyota Corolla about 9:30 p.m. in a parking stall about 200 feet north of his residence. He locked the car and activated its alarm. About 7:30 a.m., the victim returned to his car and discovered that the left rear window had been smashed and his $1,300 laptop computer was missing from the rear seat where he had left it, police said. The car doors were still locked and the alarm still activated when the victim found the theft.

In another report with an estimated $850 loss and damages, a 2000 Honda Accord was broken in to between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. March 8-9. The victim told police he parked his car in the stall within 100 feet of his residence. The next morning, he discovered the front passenger window was shattered, and a DVD player and about 30 children's DVDs were missing, police said. The victim told police he recalled hearing a popping sound sometime between 3-4 a.m., but thought it was his newspaper delivery. In both cases, police believe the suspect smashed the windows and reached inside the vehicles to take property.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.