A thief who stole a bicycle posted on Craigslist was hooked in an impromptu sting operation when he re-listed the bicycle in another town.
The Tacoma, Washington, man was hoisted by his own petard, as they say.
The drama started when Robert Hill of Bainbridge Island realized that the guy who just pedaled his Cervelo R3 bicycle, valued at $2,700, down the driveway for a test ride was not coming back.
The sting
The Kitsap Sun reports that a few days later, the Hills were alerted that the bike was posted on the Portland-area Craigslist. Fearing that the Bainbridge police couldn't respond fast enough, they responded by using fake names and email account to set up a meeting with the suspect in Portland.
When they arrived in Portland for the meeting, the couple realized they really didn't have a plan. They spotted a nearby police precinct station and stopped in for advice.
In minutes, the police had assembled a 7-man sting operation complete with spotters, backups and decoys.
At the meeting place, Hill's wife, Hadley, identified the suspect and the police swooped in and arrested him. He was charged with attempted theft in Portland, although more charges in Washington state are expected.
Hill told the Kitsap Sun:
“At first I thought 'wow, that was a rush.' I thought I'd feel satisfied when I got the bike back, but I just felt sad. I felt sad that (the suspect) would be desperate enough to do all this.”
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