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Bait Bike Thefts
To help combat bicycle theft and vehicle burglary in Sacramento CA, Pegasus Technologies, Inc. has equipped a mountain bike with its new ProAct-IV tracking device. This “Bait Bike” has been made available to local law enforcement agencies to help fight these types of crimes.
On March 13, 2002 at approximately 10:30 AM the bait bike was parked in front of the Target store located at 1919 Fulton Ave. At
3:30 PM that same day, an unknown person stole the bike which activated the ProAct-IV transmitter hidden within the bike. The transmitter’s tracking signal was immediately picked up by several Sacramento Sheriff’s Department patrol vehicles which followed the signal to a house located about one mile from the Target store. The bicycle was located and recovered from within this house. One female adult was arrested and booked for possession of stolen property after telling deputies that a guy she knew had just stolen the bike from Target. No male subject was located.
The following day, March 14, 2002 the bait bike was again parked in front of the same Target store. At
1:00 PM that day, Target security videotaped one female adult as she got onto the bike and rode off toward the back of the store. This movement immediately activated the ProAct-IV tracking device within the bicycle. A second adult female in a car met up with the thief behind the store, they put the bike into the back of the vehicle and drove off. Again, the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department tracked the signal and within 15 minutes had narrowed the location of the stolen bike to within one building of a large apartment complex about three miles from the Target store. Using hand held tracking receivers, the deputies were able to pinpoint the apartment that contained the stolen bicycle and it was recovered as the two females were attempting to dismantle it. Both subjects were arrested and booked for 487 P.C. Grand Theft. Both suspect admitted to the theft.
On the evening of May 23rd, 2002 at approximately 9:30PM the bait bike was left in the back of a pick up truck parked in an apartment complex located in Sacramento County North Central Division, Zone 3. This area was chosen due to a rash of vehicle burglaries that had occurred at this apartment complex within the previous three weeks. Three and a half hours later at 1:00AM on May 24th, the bike was stolen from the back of the truck. This movement activated the ProAct-IV tracking device hidden within the bicycle. The Sacramento Sheriff’s Department immediately began to track the bait bike’s signal and followed it to a house located approximately one mile from where the bike was stolen. While deputies were parked in front of the house waiting for back-up to arrive, a white male adult exited the house and stood on the front porch. Deputies detained the subject and utilized a portable UV Light Source to check the subject’s hands for the presence of clue spray. The palms of both of his hands fluoresced bright orange from the clue spray on the handgrips of the bait bike. The amount of clue spray on his hands indicated that he had ridden the bike for some distance. The suspect was arrested and booked for 487 P.C. Grand Theft. The suspect admitted that he had stolen the bicycle.
On Wednesday July 24th 2002 the bait bike was placed at California State University, Sacramento. The bike was locked to a bicycle rack across from the bookstore when at 7:20PM someone cut the cable that was securing the bike. This action activated the ProAct-IV Tracking Device on the bike. Within two minutes a Pegasus representative drove by the bike rack and noticed several people leaving the area on bicycles, however, the bait bike was still in place. Assuming that the activation was accidental, the transmitter was reset. At that point, the Pegasus representative noticed that the cable had been cut so he immediately left the area, leaving the bike in place. Approximately 20 minutes later, the bike was stolen, again activating the hidden tracking device. The Pegasus representative tracked the signal to a parking lot about 250 yards from where the bike was stolen and witnessed a male adult placing the bike into the trunk of his vehicle. As he began to drive away, he was stopped by the CSUS Police Department who initiated a felony vehicle stop. The suspect was arrested and booked for 487 P.C. Grand Theft. In addition to the bait bike, one additional bicycle was recovered from within the vehicle. It was later determined that this bicycle had recently been stolen from American River College. The suspect told officers that he and a friend were working as a team to steal bicycles. He stated that his friend would cut the locks off and then he would come by and take the bikes.
On Tuesday September 17th 2002, the bait bike was placed in the back of a pickup truck located in Parking Lot 7 at the California State University of Sacramento at approximately 10:30AM. This location was selected because of a series of vehicle burglaries that occurred in this parking lot the previous day. At 10:37AM, just seven minutes later, the bike was stolen from the back of the truck. This movement activated the ProAct-IV tracking device hidden within the bicycle. The Sacramento Police department and the CSUS Police department immediately began to track the bait bike’s signal. An off duty K-9 police unit equipped with a Tracking Receiver picked up the signal and within minutes had identified a red Toyota pickup as the suspect vehicle. Several police units joined the K-9 unit and they conducted a felony vehicle stop on the suspect vehicle. The bicycle was recovered from the back of the Toyota truck and the suspect was arrested and booked into the Sacramento County Jail. Several common burglary tools were also found in the back of the truck.
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