Officers Partner to Recover $19,000 in Stolen Bikes – *UPDATE* Additional $12,000 in Bikes Recovered ($31,000 Total)

Location: Springfield, OR
Case Number: Multiple
Date/Time: May 2024
More Information: spdpi@springfield-or.gov
Completed By: Zak Gosa-Lewis, Public Information Coordinator

NARRATIVE OF INCIDENT:
Refer to SPD Media Release ‘Officers Partner to Recover $19,000 in Stolen Bikes’ for background.

Since February, two Springfield Police Department officers have utilized their knowledge of bicycles to recover and return over $31,000 worth of stolen bikes. During the first week of May, the officers were able to locate two additional bikes that were related to those that were previously recovered from the theft of a Eugene bicycle shop.

On May 5th, one of the officers noticed a Santa Cruz bicycle being walked along Main Street in Springfield. The individual was compliant with the officer’s questions related to the bike but was transparent in that he did not know if the bike had been stolen or not. The officer, having previously worked on the case of a large theft of bikes from a Eugene shop, was able to connect the bike to the theft. The owner confirmed that it was in fact one of those stolen in January and advised that the value was roughly $6,000. The officer was able to take possession of the bike and return it to its rightful owner.

On May 8th, another officer who, while off-duty, located a newer bike on Facebook Marketplace listed for well below its estimated value (over $6,000). The officer from the first recovery contacted the owner (the same business owner from the previous recovery), identified the bike as being stolen, and relayed the information back. The off-duty officer worked with staff and successfully recovered the bike from the attempted ‘seller’ and returned it to its owners.