The story begins on November 16th. A woman posted on a local 'helping hands site' that she wanted people to be on the lookout for her bike, which had been stolen. She was offering money to anyone who could help her get her bike back.
She was so desperate to get it back, I started wondering what it was that made a Salsa Timberjack bike so special. A little googling made it clear. The bike ranges in price from $1700 to $2000.
A lot of people tried to help, contacting her if they saw a green bike anywhere, or giving her suggestions about camera placement around town, and the like.
Two days ago, I happened to notice on a local garage sale site, someone was selling a bike.
It clicked with me, and so I contacted the woman who'd had her bike stolen.
(So did about everyone else in town.)
The seller was from Youngsville. She posted it on a Corry site, a town about a half hour away.
The woman who'd had her bike stolen contacted her and offered to buy the bike.
The bike was in Jamestown NY at her boyfriend's house, the seller said. She had no way to get it back to Youngsville, which was why she was selling it. They only accepted Venmo or CashApp payment which is very strange for an in person pickup.
The prospective 'buyer' said that it was no problem, and that she'd need the boyfriend's address.
It was provided!!!!!
At some point, the seller's post lit up with comments claiming that the bike belonged to So and So. The seller said, "It's not the only bike of that brand bought in the area." But she also made the connection that her prospective buyer was the same woman the bike had been stolen from. She very quickly sent out a response that the bike had been sold by her boyfriend, and the ad was taken down just before the police showed up.
And that is how a ring of thieves who targeted high end bikes and e-bikes was taken into custody.
They may have been good at stealing, but it is interesting to me that they didn't seem to know anything about serial numbers.
But anyways, I do love a happy ending, don't you?
I love it when Karma nails sleazy people like this! Yes! I have a question if you don't mind, have your & Tim stopped working on the new build until you get the rehab finished? Was wondering because you haven't mentioned the new build in a while.
ReplyDeleteWe are still putzing on the new build, but we have to get the rehab finished tout de suite. We've had the house for 5 years, and have been making slow and steady progress on it. Then suddenly, we had a fellow who was available to pour the basement AND a contractor who could get it done immediately, and work stopped on the rehab to focus on the new build. Things generally don't line up that perfectly, and we'd been trying to find a concrete guy for literally two years. So. We had to jump on the new build. Then it had to be closed up and weather tight, so once we started on that, there was no stopping. Then Tim had some major health problems. A small stroke followed by cancer, and EVERYTHING got set to the side for some time. Our insurance company has a policy that if a house stands vacant for more than five years, they will no longer insure it. That was a jolt. We had until February to find new insurance for it. Luckily, our insurance guy was able to appeal to the company, and they gave us another year of coverage, which gives us until February 2026 to get it completed. So...right now, our focus is on the rehab. We plan on working out some kind of balance of time down the road. We had a lot of supplies in this house for planned work, so we are getting a lot done without spending a lot of money, which is also important at this time of the year.
DeleteMost of our work on the rehab had been exterior work. New roof, new windows, gutted the bathroom and kitchen which had been destroyed by the weather and the hole in the roof. We had new windows installed, and hardyboard siding. We painted it. All new wiring. New plumbing. New heating system. Basically the expensive stuff that does not, unfortunately sell the house. I did not want people to think it was a derelict house.
DeleteYAY! I was hoping that (a) your friend did not Paypal or Venmo. I see horror stories of that action many times and (b) she didn't spook the seller and called the police immediately! I am so happy with the happy ending. Woo Hoo!!! Get those thieves off the street!
ReplyDeleteOh, no. She knew it was her bike as soon as she saw it. She had no intentions of showing up there. She just gave the address to the police. One of the guys had been arrested for stealing an e-bike like two days before.
DeleteA great story with a well deserved conclusion.
ReplyDeleteIt made me laugh. Just deserts, I'd say!
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