(Photo: WashCo Sheriff)
Washington County Sheriff deputies thought they’d just recovered a stolen bike; but it ended up leading them to a large cache of other stolen property.
According to a statement issued late Friday by the sheriff’s office, a $6,000 bike stolen off a car rack led them to the arrest of two prolific thieves. Here’s how it went down:
On November 26, 2014, a Washington County Deputy Sheriff took a report of a $6,000 bicycle stolen off of a vehicle rack in a parking lot at NW Murray Boulevard and NW Cornell Road. On November 27, 2014, the owner of the bicycle called the Sheriff’s Office to report they saw their bicycle advertised for sale on a website called “Offer Up“.
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Sheriff’s Deputies located Nicklas James Rocha, 27, and Kathryn Ann Carley, 39, both from Portland, in Beaverton as they were trying to sell the stolen bicycle.They were both arrested concerning the bicycle theft. Deputies found Heroin and related smoking items that were believed to belong to Ms. Carley.
After returning the bicycle and related accessories to the rightful owner, Sheriff’s Deputies went to Mr. Rocha’s residence and found about 100 items that were undoubtedly stolen. There were boxes of shoes, boots, car parts, clothing, jewelry, and many other assorted presents and items.
In the end, Rocha was charged with First Degree Theft and Criminal Mischief and Carley was charged with Possession of Heroin and Criminal Conspiracy. Both were released after posting bonds.
This case is a good reminder that the scourge of bike theft isn’t just about bike theft.
Since we announced the upcoming Portland Bike Theft Summit last week, we’ve heard from several readers. One of them is a local bike shop owner whose insights are very important as we think about how to tackle the issue:
“I feel strongly that addressing the problem should not be limited to bikes. Bikes are just a tiny aspect of the iceberg. Since the problem is bigger than bikes, the solutions are bigger too. Yes, we need more enforcement but as you know that won’t stem the tide. The issue is a broader social one and one that it will take more than the bike community to address.”
We will definitely have this case — and those wise words above — on our minds on December 10th when we host a community discussion about this growing problem.