UNC Campus Police Nabs Suspected Bike Thief
8 Dec 2016
On the morning of Oct. 14, in order to stem a series of bike thefts on campus, University of Northern Colorado police arrested a man on suspicion of stealing a bicycle.
Many UNC students prefer to travel via bike around campus, and as bike riding has been gaining in popularity, opportunist thefts have also increased. For this reason, police have urged students to register their bikes with parking services, and to take a note of their bike’s serial number so if they come into contact with a suspect, it can be checked.
According to an affidavit for his arrest, at approximately 2:45 a.m. on the morning in question, Adrian Moreno, 52, stole a bike that was placed there by police.
The bike had been installed with a GPS tracking device, and then locked to a bike rack in an attempt to catch one of the thieves that have been plaguing the area.
Although the bike was not in the line of sight of campus surveillance cameras, footage from others in the area were reviewed by police. It showed a male matching Moreno’s description, taking an item from his backpack, and tampering with the bike rack. Officers later recovered the cable lock they’d used to secure the bike, cut and on the sidewalk.
According to information from the GPS tracking technology, the bike began moving at around 2:45 a.m., thereafter, it travelled a mile and a half to 415 10th St.
Officers waited at the 10th Street address, and followed Moreno, who left on a bicycle shortly after 9 a.m. Throughout their journey in an unmarked car, the police officers recognized the bike as the one they had secured to the bike rack the prior morning.
Even when two more cars joined the chase, Moreno continued to cycle away from police, in time discarding the bike, and running away on foot. Officers finally caught the man as he was attempting to discard his backpack.
On searching said backpack, police discovered a knife, over a gram of meth, and a glass pipe.
Moreno was then arrested on suspicion of theft, drug charges, and for unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon, according to the affidavit.
Adrian Moreno is scheduled to appear in court at 8:30 a.m. October 31.
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