How Vernon police got a local teen’s stolen bike back

VERNON – Having a dedicated RCMP crime reduction unit paid off nicely for a Vernon teen who got his stolen bike back within a day. 

If only all theft investigations went down like this: When the Vernon RCMP unit got a detailed description of the suspect, they recognized immediately that they dealt with the man earlier this summer and knew exactly where to find him. 

"Within a few minutes of hitting the streets, the Crime Reduction Unit located the suspect in an area he was known to frequent and recovered the stolen mountain bike," Cpl. Tania Finn said in a release. 

The bike was locked up in the busy bike racks outside the Vernon Recreation Centre along with many others Aug. 20 around 6:30 p.m. That's when a man casually approached the bike rack, cut the lock and fled on the mountain bike. Police learned later the bike belonged to a local teenager who saved his money to buy the bike just this summer. 

Luckily someone witnessed the bike theft, called police and gave a detailed description of the man who did it. The owner of the bike was also able to give a complete and accurate description of his bike. Finn says regular watch officers tried to find it that night but were unsuccessful.

The next morning however, Vernon's crime reduction team recognized the description of the suspect. 

A 31-year-old Alberta man was arrested and faces charges of theft under $5,000 and possession of stolen property. 

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