Brad Cockman, DC
Now THAT is as STORY! WOW! The only thing that could make it better
would have been Scot and his partner running the thieves down and giving
them a little rib kicking in the process of the capture (actually any
form of alleged police brutality would work).
George you ought to submit this tale to one of the magazines, like
Bicycling (right MN?)!
Schreck, George wrote:
I had a very stressful and interesting experience, with a good outcome,
that occurred yesterday. I thought I would share it to demonstrate the
spirit of OBRA and the hard work of the Portland Police.
When I awoke Sunday at 6 a.m., I found my garage door open and that my
new Calfee Dragonfly was missing. After initial panic and continually
looking all over the garage for it (I could not believe that it was
stolen and assumed I had overlooked it), I sat down to determine the
amount that it was worth for the insurance company. When the cost began
to exceed $8,000, I suddenly realized two things; my insurance company
would never believe me and that I spend way too much on bicycle
equipment.
Approximately, 12:00, I went to River City to look at a new bike as I
needed a replacement for Elkhorn. As I was looking and told the sales
people why I needed a new bike, they commented that Brian Witty knew
where my bicycle was. It turned out that he had seen someone riding it
at a location on the other side of town from where I live. I called
Brian and he said that he saw the guy and knew that something did not
look right. After all, how many people would be riding a Calfee
Dragonfly with Campy clipless pedals and sneakers, and riding on
Bontrager Carbon rims with tubulars. Not exactly the best commuting
choice.
Brian wisely asked him if he wanted to sell the bike and managed to get
the guy to call Brian to discuss a possible deal. When he called
Brian, Brian was then able to get the guy's cell phone number. In
addition, Brian followed the guy to an apartment and also was able to
give me an address.
At that point, I called Chauncy Curl, the recent winner of 2 gold and 2
silver medals at the California State Police and Firemen's Games, and he
called, Scott Klinger, a fellow racer and police officer to assist me
(Scot won a silver medal as well). Scott and his partner, met me at the
apartment, and the police interrogated everyone there. The bike and the
thief were not there, but they did manage to recover three stolen
bicycles, a bunch of credit cards and some checks, and arrested someone
on an outstanding identity theft warrant.
For the rest of the afternoon, using Rich Slingsby's cell phone (as mine
was dead), I kept calling the thief's cell phone and tried to convince
him and his cohort that I was interested in buying bicycle. They were
suspicious, and were reluctant to meet. They did mention that in
addition to a Calfee, they had a Lance Armstong Trek for sale as well.
After the third conversation, they said they would consider it and cal
me back. Immediately after, Rich Slingsby at River City called and said
that a guy called to ask about the cost of a Calfee, but then hung up.
Rich hit star 69, and ended up getting the guy's home number and gave it
to me. At that point, I called the thief and said that I was going to
buy a bike at the bike shop in 30 minutes and would not be interested in
his bike if he did not call me soon. Finally, he agreed to chain the
bike in a location to be determined, and that they would hide and let me
look at the bike while they watched. Shortly after, two second hand
bicycle stores called me to say a guy was going to bring in a Calfee for
them to look at. The Noose was drawing to a close.
Approximately 30 minutes later, the thieves called and said it was
locked to a rack at Grant High. I raced there and sure enough the bike
was locked to the rack. Scott and his partner were right behind me to
complete the sting, but when the thieves tried to get me to pay for it,
they realized that I was not about to give them $3,000 in cash. At that
point, I let them know that I appreciated their returning my bike and
asked them for the keys to the locks. They ran off with the keys just
as Scott and his partner arrived. After talking to them on the cell
phone, we gave up trying to get them to return with the keys.
Then Scott called the Fire Department, and a half dozen guys on two
trucks came with a large circular saw and cut both locks.
All in all it was an interesting day. I lost and retrieved an expensive
bicycle in the short span of six hours, and met some really good people
form the Police and Fire Department. Also, I saw some good police work.
Thanks to the vigilance and assistance of the Obra community consisting
of Brian Witty, Rich Slingsby and the others at River City, Chauncy
Curl, and Scott Klinger, it was a very good ending for me. This really
is a good community, and I am very appreciative of the assistance that I
received from the Portland Police and the Fire Department. Right now
it feels good to live in Portland.
Incidentally, I have the cell phone and the home phone of the culprits,
so this is not quite over yet. When I have their details, I will post
them on this site so everyone will know where to check if their bike is
missing. They should have an interesting life going forward.
Anyway, I hope I did not bore you too long with this.
George Schreck
Phone: (503) 813-7211
Fax: (503) 813-7190
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